


Imagination's Reality

by RiYuYami



Series: Before the Beginning and After the End [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Elements from both series and the manga, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Puzzleshipping, Yu-Gi-Oh Season Zero, canon and non-canon events
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-10-07 19:56:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 124,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10368255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiYuYami/pseuds/RiYuYami
Summary: He was told about the spirit that protected the unsolvable puzzle he owned, but was this figure in Yugi's life the spirit? Or something else?An AU where Yugi was aware that something lived in the puzzle from the very beginning of him finding it.





	1. The Boy and the Golden Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, about eight years ago, on my old ff.net account, I started a Puzzleshipping fanfic that I honestly thought was a great idea at the time, and I sorta still think it is.
> 
> But when I re-read it… oh my God, so many grammar errors, so many typical mistakes of presenting characters and words… it’s terrible, but I do like where I was going with the plot. So! I’m thinking of re-writing it, eliminate the bullshit and write it the way it should be. I’m also re-writing the first few chapters, before the actual current day stuff begins, to make it a better story.

Darkness, it was all he knew in this strange labyrinth he was destined to wander for all of eternity. The only light inside of the chamber he was sealed in was himself, but even then... it wasn't a strong light.

Just a glow from his forehead, it only allowed him to see the stairs and different doors in the chamber, if he tried to see himself, he saw darkness, darkness shaped like a human.

The room was nothing but the darkness and what it hid from him until he shined his light upon it. Thousands of doors, millions of steps, endless traps and shadows. Some rooms were filled with imagery, random items, from times long since passed, with memories flickering but so hard to understand.

Doors like that were rare, and never helpful.

Why was he here? There was a reason for this, his soul had to be here until the time was right, but even then... when would that be.

He stopped, something... in the dark?

It sounded like a voice.

There were no voices here, not even his own. He knew this well, he had a mouth, but he could not even scream in this darkness. All he ever heard were his steps and the creaking of doors, any voice was from a creature, a memory that shattered when he caught a glimps of it. No voice he had heard was like this.

This voice was soft, he didn't understand what it said, too muffled, but it sound curious.

Another voice, older, wiser, again, the words were coming to him as if he was underwater.

But they existed, a positive sign?

The older voice, he knew that one, from years ago, when he had a moment... just a brief moment, release? No, he went back to the labyrinth just moments later, before he could get his bearings. A man, he knew the face, he said his name.

What was his name?

The old man's name was wrong though, this was a new version of him? But it was still him, he saw him, saved him, then he was back in the chamber, taken from his endless walking for just a second, only enough time to save him.

A creaking, of something opening, but not like the doors.

A lid? Like a chest? He had found those before here, he recognized the sound.

Light!

Beautiful light!

It shined from below him, the chamber was suddenly glowing, for the first time in his life here, he could see what the room actually looked like. Just as he had predicted, it was a labyrinth of stairs and endless doors. Why would he think otherwise?

Further down in the room, in a large space, leading to many stairs, was a single door.

He felt something from it, making his way to it quickly, the light beckoned him closer, to something grand, something he needed.

The door was different from the others, it looked like them, but there was something about it... something positive, hopeful, perfect.

He pressed against it, hearing the little voice better.

_Ahh! It's a puzzle!_

That voice was like the sweetest music to his ears, the door gave off more vibes that made him feel like he had hope in his dreary hell of a life. He wanted to find this voice, the person with it, he wanted... no, he needed to protect him at all cost, protect the hope, the light.

He felt himself slip a bit, under the door, his shadow.

_Go, find the light._

\--

“Grandpa, what’s this?”

Yugi blinked, looking at a strange object he found in the storage of the game shop. He had gone inside to help Grandpa clean up and organize it, but his attention was drawn to a box. It had caught his eye when Yugi had moved something out of the way, a shimmer of gold shone through the darkness of the cardboard box in the corner that the boy had been digging around in.

Carefully, Yugi picked up the gold box, surprised to find that it had an eyeball carved into, along with strange images. Grandpa turned from where he was digging through a box, gasping, rushing over to take the golden object. “Where on earth did you find this?”

“In this old box. What is that?” Yugi asked, tilting his head.

Grandpa sighed, looking it over. It was still in perfect condition, he even opened it to see that it looked as if all the parts were still inside. “This, my dear boy, is a special item, from ancient Egypt.”

“Ancient Egypt?”

“Oh yes, from the tomb of a lost pharaoh. Long ago, this box was left in the tomb, protected by dark magic and traps, only to be discovered during a dig. The people who found it met horrible fates, and it was passed down onto me. I completely forgot about it.”  
  
Yugi reached over, taking it back. He blinked, gently touching the eye shape on the side. “What’s in it?” He asked, taking the lid off slowly, carefully, only to stare at strange shapes of solid gold. “Ahh! It’s a puzzle!”

“Right you are, Yugi. It’s called the Millennium Puzzle, and it holds strange, and dangerous powers. No one in over three thousand years has ever been able to solve it.” Grandpa spoke, crossing his arms. “Many have tried, but the puzzle refuses to be solved, only a true master of games can put it together and reveal it’s true form.”

“A master of games…” Yugi stared at the pieces, they looked so beautiful so… enticing. He felt as if something was drawing him in, to put it together...

“I’ll do it!”

Grandpa raised an eyebrow. “Do what? Put that together? Yugi, you’re fantastic at games, but even I couldn’t solve it when I tried. What makes you think you can do it?”

Yugi just smiled brightly. “Because I feel it, it’s like it wants me to solve it!”

The older gamer stared at him before laughing, gently patting him on the head. “I have a feeling that you might have a better chance with that old thing then those in the past!”

He wasn't just saying that to make Yugi happy, Grandpa strangely felt that Yugi might have a chance of solving the most powerful game in the world. If that figure in the tomb, that looked so much like his grandson, but older, is any indication of Yugi being the chosen one to solve the lost pharaoh's puzzle...

Then he could be the chosen one to harness the power of the Shadow Games.

That figure though...

“Yugi, it is said a spirit protects the puzzle, watches over it, keeps it safe for the person who will solve it. This spirit will pick who can solve it. I am sure that the spirit will be kind to you.”

Yugi blinked, looking up from the puzzle box. “Spirit?” His grandfather just nodded, smiling, before patting him on the head again.

Unbeknownst to either of them, someone was watching them, shifting in the shadows of the room silently.

\--

Gold pieces of all shapes and sizes sat in front of Yugi on his bedroom floor, the boy making eye contact with a very peculiar piece of the puzzle. It was of an eye, similar to the one on the box. It just stared at him, but Yugi felt as if there was something to it. “Hmm… where to start…” He picked up two pieces and tried to put them together.

“Dang, this is harder than it looks…” He sighed, trying to put another set together.

_I’m sure you’ll figure it out._

Yugi paused, who… who said that? He blinked, glancing around his room. That voice sounded like none he had ever heard before, in fact… it sounded like it was in his head. “W-who’s there…”

_Don’t be afraid, I’m here to help._

It sounded gentle, like a voice of a protector, it felt... trustworthy. “Who are you? Where are you?”

There was nothing for a moment. _I… do not know the answer to the first question, but I am behind you._

Yugi turned around, staring behind him at a strange figure. This person… no... it wasn't a person, it was a shadow, on the wall.

It was shaped just like him, but not positioned as he was now. Solid gold eyes, three of them, two were in the normal area for eyes on a face, but the third... it was on the forehead, glowing, shaped like the eye on the puzzle.

The boy yelped, scooting away from the stranger. “A ghost..!”

The strange shadow seemed to blink, holding up its hands, shaking its head. _Shh… calm down, I am not a ghost, I am a friend._

“But where did you come from? How come you look like that?” Yugi asked, watching this apparition. Golden eyes watched the young boy before seeming to look at something else, staring at the box before the figure pointed at it.

Yugi looked over at it as well, thinking of what his grandfather had told him earlier. He had told him that a spirit is said to live in the puzzle, that the spirit is the reason why no one has ever finished the puzzle. “You’re… the one who controls the puzzle?”

 _I suppose so, it is mine after all._ The spirit said, looking like he crossed his arms as he stared at Yugi. _And you are putting it together?_ It... he? sounded so hopeful.

“I… yes! Yes I am! I want to be the first person to solve it in forever!” Yugi announced happily, excited. “I want to solve the unsolvable puzzle!”

_I think you have potential, child._

“You really think so? I mean... I'm good at games, but not that good...”

 _You are young, you are still learning, your skills are improving with every game you play, I am sure._ The spirit said, if he had a mouth, he would be smiling. _I know you will solve my puzzle._

Yugi stared at him before grinning. “Yeah! I'll solve it as fast as possible! What happens when I do solve it though?”

_A wish will be granted to you, child. A wish of your greatest desire, it is the least I can do for you._

“A wish?” Yugi blinked, looking at the pieces of gold in front of him. What sort of wish could he ask for? There are so many things in the world to ask for, so many... he would think about it later, it should be something grand!

“Are you going to help me with the puzzle?” Yugi asked the shadow, watching as he sat on the floor... well... sort of, he just appeared to sit, but he was still on the wall. The spirit shook his head. “Why not?”

_Because you are meant to solve it, not I. I am forbidden to help you._

“That's stupid.”

The other scoffed, or at least it sounded like he did. _Those are the rules, and you know rules are important for games, little one._

Yugi pouted, sighing as he looked at the pieces. Well, might as well keep trying, he was sure he had time to solve it and get his wish! “I guess I'll follow the rules. Oh, and my name is Yugi! Haha, you don't have to call me all those weird things, you can just say Yugi.”  
  
_Yugi._ The stranger said softly, mainly to himself. He liked that, it was a lovely name.

The shadow watched from his spot, seeing Yugi work on the puzzle, or at least make a strong attempt at it. That puzzle is a lot more complicated then it looks, the spirit knew it would take time for the chosen one to put it together. He will build it, complete it, but in time, when the right moment strikes, when his heart desires it most.

He felt so tired, a feeling he did not remember feeling in so long, not since, possibly, before waking up in the puzzle so long ago.

_I am going back, Yugi._

Yugi pause, looking at the spirit. “Going back? Where?”

_The puzzle._

“Why?”

_I do not have much energy to be out in this form long. But I will be here, I will protect you._

The spirit, so dark in color, blacker than night, closed his eyes, and Yugi's shadow returned to normal. Getting up, Yugi touched the wall, at his shadow, it was his. It moved as he did and was lighter in shade than the one before.

He wondered when the spirit would return next.

–

He laid down on the floor in front of the door, panting softly. The shadows were not too keen on him using them like that so soon, the boy had barely put some of the pieces together. With the puzzle broken, his powers were so weak, so difficult to maintain in the outside world.

But he would wait, he knew in time that this boy, Yugi, would free him.

And he will make sure that his savior is protected from all the evils that come his way.

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a lot better than my original fanfic.
> 
> Next chapter: It's a tricky one, either I have Yugi solve the puzzle much younger than expected, or he takes eight years to solve it. I'm leaving this up to you guys, which would be best to see? I have plans for both of them, but if the young Yugi one doesn't work out, that can always become its own fanfic.
> 
> Either way, I have something in mind for both of them that involves a young Yugi and another canon character.


	2. The First Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually shocked that this story got attention, especially since I'm sure plots like this have been done to death in this fandom, but thank you everyone!
> 
> Looks like we're going with Yugi solving the puzzle in the past, which should be fun to experiment with. I have plans for what will happen when Ushio appears years later, which will be fun to do. I want to keep some things mostly canon, but the puzzle being completed earlier will be something to try out.
> 
> Plus the idea of a tinier Yami Yugi who acts like season zero Yami makes me laugh.
> 
> On with the fic!

A year has passed since Yugi first found the puzzle, a year since he met the spirit inside of it.

In the months that have passed, the spirit had become a friend of sorts to Yugi, one he's come to be fond of dearly. Yugi kept the spirit a secret, he didn't want Grandpa or his mother to know about him, at least not yet. He also kept him quiet to Anzu, the pretty girl he became friends with a little while ago.

He had her in his class and gave her a pocket game to play, since Yugi always felt like games were a good way to make friends. She came back to him a few days later, apologizing for having broken it, but Yugi just smiled, giving her a new one the next day.

The spirit didn't seem to care about her, nor about his mother or anyone else really. Just Yugi, he seemed very attached to him. When Yugi would ask why this was, the shadow would reply simply, telling him because Yugi gave him light in his darkened world. That didn't make any sense to Yugi, but... oh well, the spirit was a strange guy, but he was very nice.

For a while now, Yugi wondered if he should name him, he can't just keep calling him shadow, spirit, things like that. He wondered to himself as he walked down a street to a local arcade not too far from his house, thinking of what to call him. The best, he could honestly come up with was Yami, darkness. He doubted the other would like it though.

Lost in his thoughts, the boy didn't notice the split in the sidewalk, tripping over the piece that stuck up more. He crashed to the ground, his school bag opening up and scattered the contents all around him. “A-ah!” Yugi gasped, seeing gold pieces in front of him, along with a few of his school supplies.  
  
The shadow under him grew darker, shaking a bit. He knew the other was distressed, contents of the puzzle were everywhere. Yugi learned that when the pieces were not close enough to one another, it made the spirit of the puzzle very uneasy, he said the light fades and things in his room change. Yugi didn't know what that meant, but he knew he had to pick up the puzzle quickly.  
  
“Are you alright?”  
  
Yugi stopped as he reached for the first piece in front of him, looking up. Before him stood a boy, a bit taller than him, but about his age. Brunet bangs hung in his face, but Yugi could see wide, curious eyes of blue staring at him from under those dark locks. “You took a nasty fall, are you okay? Do you need help?” He asked, holding out a hand.  
  
The smaller boy blinked, reaching up to take the hand, being lifted to his feet. “I-I'm okay, I just... I tripped and my stuff is everywhere...” He glanced around, luckily it looks like the puzzle pieces only landed on the sidewalk, nothing on the streets. There wasn't a storm drain next to them, so nothing was lost, just scattered a few feet in front of him.  
  
“Would you like my help?” The boy asked, smiling a bit. “I don't mind, it always sucks when a mess is made and you have to clean it up alone.”

The smaller of the two smiled as well. “Thank you, that would be great.” Yugi took off his backpack, opening it up to see that the golden box still had pieces inside of it, okay, the shadow was alright, but he still felt it in his feet, where the other was attached to him, that he was uncomfortable.  
  
He and the other boy began to pick up the golden pieces and Yugi's school supplies quietly. “Hey, are these for a puzzle? They're so pretty, like they're gold...” The brunet commented, looking at one of them.  
  
His attention from the piece he had just handed over to Yugi went to one just a foot away, the piece furthest from them. He listened to Yugi as he explained that they were for a puzzle, an ancient one from Egypt. “Fascinating...” The boy commented, reaching down to pick up the furthest piece.

It was the largest of them, a golden eye stared at him. He smiled, gently rubbing his thumb over it.

Suddenly, he was struck by a cold chill running down his spine, feeling something... watching him, staring directly into his soul. He froze, unable to see that on the wall behind him was a shadow, swirling with dark energy, reading him.

A flash, before his eyes, of white and blue. Distantly, he heard the roar of a beast, one he felt like he's heard before. Another flash, of a man, burning red eyes, a smirk, the white and blue returned, a dragon?

As fast as it all appeared, the feeling of cold dread vanished, and he snapped out of his trance.  
  
“Hey, are you okay?” Yugi asked, having seen the other freeze up for a second, looking horrified.  
  
“I-I'm sorry, I must have spaced out...” He frowned, looking at the piece in his hand, before turning to Yugi with a smile. “Sorry about that, I think this is the last piece.”  
  
The grin on the smaller boy's face grew as he took it. “That's my favorite piece!” He put it in the box, having made sure all the pieces were accounted for. He knew them all by heart, how many there were, what they looked and felt like. The whole puzzle was in the box and his friend from the box seemed very content now. “Thank you for your help! I'm Yugi!” He held out his hand, letting the other shake it.  
  
“Seto. Sorry, I should get going, I have to go pick up my little brother from daycare. Maybe I'll see you around, Yugi? You look like someone I could have fun playing games with.”  
  
“As do you! Maybe next time we interact, we can play a game.” Yugi grinned brightly, earning another smile from Seto before watching him leave.

“He seems like such a nice kid.” The little boy commented, holding his puzzle box close to his chest. “What do you think?”

…

“Spirit?”

_There is something about him, something... familiar, but I can't place it..._

Yugi blinked, once again, his friend spoke in riddles, making things confusing for him. “Hm, I guess? But we just met him today, I've never seen that kid before in my life.”  
  
_Same here, but there is just something about him, I don't know, maybe it's just a feeling._

“Probably. Oh, right, we're going to the arcade! I want to see if the new game came in today!” Yugi smiled brightly, happily going to the building a few stores ahead, his shadow trailing behind him.

\--

“Say, I was... wondering.”

The dark figure on the wall shifted, looking over at Yugi. In the darkness of the bedroom, he was almost impossible to see, outside of his glowing eyes. Yugi stared at them, feeling embarrassed.

_What is it, Yugi?_

“... Would it be alright if I gave you a name? Or called you something? I never really refer to you as anything.”  
  
The other was quiet, but the tone of his voice when he spoke next let Yugi know he sounded pleased with that. _I would be honored if you called me something. I have no name, I will take whatever it is you can give me._

Yugi smiled a little. “I was thinking... Yami, it fits, you're a shadow all the time, but I was also thinking... Other Me?”

_Other Me?_

The spirit could understand the first name, it fit, after all, he was only living darkness when out of the puzzle. In the puzzle though, he had taken on a bit of color since meeting Yugi, the same shade of skin as him, his clothing fitting whatever Yugi wore. It seems he was taking on small things of his savior.

But now that he thought about it, the spirit was Yugi's shadow, literally. He lived in it, he took on Yugi's image this way. In the puzzle, he appeared to look similar to him, though he didn't know if his face looked like the boy's.

He can sort of see where Yugi got the idea of calling him Other Me came from.

_You may call me either of those, I do not mind._

Yugi smiled softly, sleepily, it was two in the morning after all, he had school tomorrow.

“Thank you, good night, Yami...” He yawned, burying his face into his pillow.  
  
The spirit... Yami was it, sat and watched the other sleeping soundly. Golden eyes flickered over to the puzzle on the desk by him, seeing that a large portion of it was complete. It was only a matter of time, he wondered what would happen when Yugi put the last piece in.

–

School is becoming more difficult for Yugi, he's not exactly well liked, and often is picked on. He hasn't been beaten up, but he's been pushed around, talked down to, and constantly insulted and made fun of.  
  
Yami doesn't like this, but he can't do anything, and he feels like he is to blame for this. Yugi and Yami cannot communicate mentally, Yami may live in his shadow and the puzzle, but they are not fully connected as he would like. Yugi speaks to him aloud, only Yugi can hear him, but people can hear Yugi clearly.  
  
He didn't like being a reason that no one wanted to be his savior's friend, only Anzu continued to be, but even then, she had other friends she hung out with. Yugi was often left alone, but not really, the spirit was always there with him, spending as much time as he could with the boy.

The more the puzzle was put together, the stronger Yami felt, the longer he could stay in Yugi's shadow and watch him. He liked to keep an eye on him, but he wished that there was something he could do for Yugi, something to help him...

There was a boy from another school that liked to pick on Yugi, without even knowing who he was. He was a terrible, older boy, a middle schooler. He didn't like Yugi because of his appearance, and because he beat him at a fighting game in the local arcade. Why would an older boy want to pick on a ten year old like that? It seemed so pathetic, uhg.

Yugi hasn't mentioned the bully to his family, he doesn't even talk about it to Yami, but the spirit knows that Yugi is upset about it. He's seen him crying at night about it, this poor boy...

Today... Yami felt something in the air, something about today that would leave a huge impact on both himself and his savior...

So much of the puzzle was completed, only a few more pieces, and it will be done. Yugi is so proud of himself, so happy about it, he couldn't wait to get home to finish it off! He still had yet to figure out his wish, but he was sure he could come up with something good! Yami told him that the wish could be made even after he finished the puzzle, he just had to wish on it.  
  
He was lost in his thoughts, too busy to notice  that someone was there, until he bumped into them as he walked down the sidewalk. “O-oh, I'm sorry...” Yugi mumbled, looking up, only to see who it was he had bumped into. It was the middle school student, his bully, Satoshi. He noticed he had caused the other to spill a drink all over himself, and he looked pissed off.  
  
“Oh, you will be sorry, Mutou.” Satoshi dropped his cup and grabbed Yugi by the front of his shirt, lifting him off the ground. Yugi gasped, feeling his other half twitch and squirm, he was on high alert. “I just got this shirt, and you decided to ruin it, cause you're too stupid to know where you're going!”  
  
“P-please...! It was an accident..!” Yugi tried to reason, his feet kicking, unable to even brush the ground. “Please let me go..!”  
  
Satoshi smirked, looking at the smaller boy. “Hmm... how will you make this up to me? How much money you got?”

“I don't...” Yugi squealed, suddenly flipped upside down, being held up by the bully by his legs. He was violently shaken up and down, like something from a cartoon. A few coins fell from Yugi's pockets, something he was going to use for a coin machine later. Luckily the puzzle stayed in the box, Yugi's school bag being sealed this time. If this bastard had seen any of the pieces...  
  
“That's it? That's all you've got? Pathetic!” He dropped the child, having him land on his head, ignoring the shout of pain from Yugi. “How about this, you make it up to me by giving me... 10,000 yen!”

Yugi's eyes widened, staring up at him in shock. “T-ten... but I don't have that kinda mon-!” He gasped, suddenly feeling a sharp kick to his ribs. He let out a harsh cough, feeling Yami panicking even more.  
  
“Well, you had better figure something out by Sunday, or I'll make sure you never bump into someone again.” Satoshi grinned wickedly, kicking Yugi again, before walking off.  
  
Yugi groaned, gasping for air. Shit, no one had seen any of that, they weren't in a very crowded place, and no one seemed to pay any mind to them... He sat back, rubbing his chest. “I'm sorry, Other Me... I wish you hadn't seen that...” He mumbled, looking at his shadow, seeing it being solid black. Tears blurred his vision before he started to sob. He stood up, crying into his sleeve, feeling like he messed up real bad.

What did he do to deserve all of that? It was an accident, he didn't meant to ruin Satoshi's shirt...

The spirit moved closer to him, being under Yugi, crawling up his body a bit. Yami wanted to hug him, make him feel better, but damnit, he couldn't. There was no way his savior could feel him, he wasn't physical, he had no way to touch him outside of expressing his emotions to Yugi. But... at least he can feel those, he guessed.  
  
_We should go home, we'll figure something out..._

“Yeah... I just... I want to go home and work on the puzzle..."

_If that is what will make you feel better..._

Yugi sniffed, rubbing his eyes, before slowly making his way home. He went into the shop, quietly greeted his grandfather, before making his way to his room. His head ached, his chest hurt, he felt miserable, but he just wanted to work on the puzzle so badly right now, he needed something to occupy his mind and hands.

He sat at his desk, taking the box out of his bag, and removed the mostly finished puzzle. He looked it over before grabbing the remaining pieces, beginning to put them into their proper place. Odd, tonight the puzzle wasn't giving him much trouble, in fact, it seemed easier.

He had no idea that each piece he put in correctly, the shadow he cast moved, twitched, something was strange about his other self, something... different, more powerful. The room grew darker, but Yugi paid it no mind as he put in one more piece, staring at the last item for the puzzle.  
  
“I... I did it..?” Yugi smiled, ignoring his pain, his suffering, his other self, as he gently placed in the final piece, the one with the eye.

With a single click, it was in, and Yugi felt something strange coming from it.

It felt... powerful. Ancient, dark, untapped for centuries...

_Hehehehe... HAHAHAHAHAHA!_

Yugi's eyes widened as the eye of the puzzle glowed, before a light struck him in the forehead, then the world went black.

–

Satoshi was confused, one minute he was out in a park with his friends, the next he's suddenly hearing strange laughter in the wind and he's... hanging from the top of a building by a single rope around his waist?  
  
“W-what is this?!” He stared down, seeing the ground below him, quite a drop, it would kill him if the rope snapped.

“ _So... it's game time.”_

The laughter from before was heard above him, and Satoshi stared up, seeing someone standing at the top of the dome that the rope was hooked to. Light came from a strange object around the figure's neck, allowing him to see who it was.

It was that brat, Yugi! But... he looked so strange. His hair was much more wild, he was dressed in black, golden ankhs around his wrists. There was a strange, terrifying look in his burning eyes, crimson in color rather than the innocent orchid they had been earlier in the day. “Yo, Satoshi. I've got what you wanted.”

Satoshi grinned. “What?! You got the money?!” He chuckled a bit. “So you did bring it, and earlier than expected. So, hurry up and hand it over!”  
  
'Yugi' looked down at him, the stare he gave was that of someone who had no fucks to give at all. “How boring, just handing it over like that to the likes of you?”  
  
“What?!”  
  
With a sigh, 'Yugi' removed something from his pocket, a smirk forming on his lips. “How about it? Have a little game with me.”  
  
“Game?!” Satoshi looked at the boy as if he was crazy. This... this guy wasn't the same kid he had been bullying for weeks now!  
  
“But it's no ordinary game...” 'Yugi' chuckled, the look on his face was of a demented amusement. “It's a Yami no Game! A Shadow Game!”  
  
Though nervous, Satoshi couldn't help but to laugh, smirking a little. “Ha! Interesting, I have never lost a game, so I accept!”  
  
“Impressive, Satoshi. Here we go.” This other Yugi said just before he jumped off his perch on the rounded rooftop. He slapped his hand down on the dome, dragging down the object he had removed from his pocket. It was a deck of cards he spread out down in a line as he fell down the roof. As 'Yugi' fell, the rope pulled Satoshi up, until they were finally even with the length of the rope around their waists.  
  
'Yugi' turned to him with a wicked grin on his face. “The rules are simple,” he began, “flip over these cards, the person goes up by the value of the card, but the other goes down thanks to that. The person who makes it to the top wins the prize.” He pointed at something attached to the pole that kept them to the roof. It appeared to be a wad of cash taped to the pole.  
  
“Alright, I get it.” Satoshi replied. “Then I'll go first.” He picked up the first card he reached for.

Ten of diamonds.

He grinned, moving up ten paces, causing the smaller boy to go down further. 'Yugi' smirked, picking up his own card, a king card, which meant he went up ten paces as well.  
  
Satoshi's next card was a two of spades, 'Yugi's was a queen of spades.

Three of diamonds.

Nine of hearts.

Six of clubs.

Jack of spades.

They continued to pull cards, rising and falling depending on the other, until 'Yugi' was the one closest to the top, which was not a good sign for Satoshi. “What's the matter, Satoshi? Nothing left?” 'Yugi' taunted. “I'm one step away from the top.”  
  
“Shut up!” The older boy yelled. “The next card I pull will end this game!” He pulled a card, gasping when he realized he had pulled the joker card, not a good sign.

“Too bad for you, Satoshi, joker is a miss.” 'Yugi' informed him. “Now it's my turn.” He picked up his next card, smirking at it.  
  
“Ace of diamonds, victory is mine.”  
  
Satoshi growled, grabbing a hold of the rope. “Shut up!” He barked, beginning to climb up the roof towards the younger boy.  
  
'Yugi' frowned for a moment before he chuckled, a grin on his lips at this pathetic display. “Breaking the rules? If you do that, you'll face extreme trouble...”  
  
“Quiet!” Satoshi tried to strike 'Yugi' in the face, who simply dodged. The air around them seemed to grow heavy with strange powers, not of this realm...  
  
He had enough of this brat! “FALL!” Satoshi screamed, snapping the rope, watching 'Yugi' fall for a moment before his attention went to the money on the pole. He failed to notice that as the other fell, a strange eye of light glowed on his forehead.

Satoshi grabbed at the money, shocked to find that it was yet another pack of playing cards. “What is this?! It's not money!” He exclaimed.

_“The door to darkness has been opened...”_

He shivered at the voice, turning to try and find the source of it, only to realize that he was falling off the roof! As he fell, Satoshi saw 'Yugi', hanging from the side of the building after having slammed his strange pendent into the wall. His forehead glowed with a terrifying eye of golden light as he watched him fall.  
  
_“The Yami no Game shows a person's true character... you will be swallowed by your own greed... Penalty Game! Greed Buffet!”_

The last thing Satoshi saw before blacking out was the sight of large worm beasts, with dozens of razor sharp teeth, waiting to devour him.  
  
_“Those who dare to hurt my partner will be punished for their misdeeds. Remember that if you want to live...”_

–

Yugi woke up the next morning to the sound of his alarm clock going off, gasping as he shot up in bed. He blinked, realizing he was in bed, in his pajamas. Wait, how did he get in bed? He didn't remember doing that, the last thing he remembered was...

“The puzzle!” Yugi grinned, seeing it around his neck! He looked it over before hugging it close. “I can't believe it! I solved the unsolvable!”  
  
He glanced around, wanting to show Yami, but... where was he? “Yami? Other me?”  
  
He felt something strange, a... response? From inside of his heart? A pleased one, a satisfied feeling, thankfulness. Was this Yami? He sometimes felt his emotions, but nothing this wrong before.  
  
“Other me?”  
  
His shadow, on the wall next to him, moved, the head turning to look at him. No eyes this time, minus the golden forehead one. _You did it, Yugi, you solved the puzzle. I am forever in your debt._

Yugi blinked, before laughing. “I don't know what you mean by that, but you're welcome!” He picked up the puzzle, kissing the top of it. “I still have a wish to make, but... I want to save it for when the time is right. I can do that, yeah?

_Of course, when you figure out what you want as your wish, it will be granted for you._

He smiled at the spirit before slipping out of bed, yawning. Strange, he still felt tired, maybe he passed out from his injuries? But who dressed him? It couldn't have been Yami, he can't touch him. He shrugged, rushing out of the room to go show his grandfather the puzzle.

Yami remained on the wall, able to be somewhat away from his savior it seems. He chuckled softly to himself, he would keep his actions to himself, such a sweet boy did not need to know of what the Shadow Games could do.

At least for now.

The spirit sighed softly, feeling tired still. He let Yugi sleep all night, he had used up both his own and some of Yugi's energy for that game, it's been so long since the shadows were used that it might take a while for things to require less of both their energies, but who knows how long that will take.

For now, Yami will just use the powers when they are needed most, he doubted that his other self would need him to save him like that again anytime soon.  
  
TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Satoshi is a character we will never see again, just some random character created for Yami's first Yami no Game, which is based on the Toei Animation Yugioh's first shadow game with Ushio. The game was dramatically changed from that of the manga, which, yes, you will see very soon. Pretty much next chapter, really. And I gave the Penalty Game a name cause... why not.
> 
> Also, you're probably wondering why Kaiba and Yugi interacted, well, in the original plot I had for this story nine years ago, Kaiba was also possessed with the spirit of his past self like Yugi was with Yami, but there was a weird, dumb explanation for that even though Kaiba didn't have an item.
> 
> At this point, I might drop that plot idea and keep Kaiba as Kaiba, but having him believe in his past a bit more than canon Kaiba. (And also weird hints at Prideshipping because it's my main ship in this fandom). If anyone wants Seth in this, go ahead and tell me, I have a lot of time before I throw Kaiba back into this story.
> 
> Next chapter: It's six years later, the shadow games have yet to be used again, until something happens that allows Yugi to finally make his wish.
> 
> Comments would be appreciated! I want to know what you guys think and what you'd like to see, I'm open to suggestions on this story!


	3. Yu-Jyo Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos and bookmarks!
> 
> This chapter takes place in manga canon, though mixed a bit with my own nonsense and the first anime. I don't... really like Miho too much in the first anime, at least for most of it, some stuff is okay. I'm only having her here cause some of the shadow games I really like from season zero are from episodes where she is central to the plot, like the watch episode, and the capsule monsters battle with that weird, whiny college student. She won't be central for when I do Death-T, Bakura's RPG, and the Shadi arcs.
> 
> By the way, in all honesty, I don't really like the fact that I'm using Yami to refer to Atemu in this story, but because he doesn't know his name, and it gets really annoying to constantly write 'spirit' and 'shadow', and whatever other things I gotta call him, I'm stuck with it. I was gonna call him 'Other Yugi' as well, but I'm leaving that for moments with other characters seeing him. Besides, only Yugi calls him Yami, no one else will call him that in this story.
> 
> He's either 'spirit of the puzzle', 'Yugi', 'Other Yugi', or 'Pharaoh' by everyone else. And probably some insults by his enemies. 
> 
> On with the fic!
> 
> EDIT: So I found a chart that explains the timeline of the manga, and apparently the first six chapters of the manga take place in two weeks. Okay, holy shit, I've been writing this as if Yugi had been in school for over a month. So we're gonna change a few timeline things. Also, Jounouchi and Honda pushing around Yugi, let's say that Yugi bumped into Jounouchi during the summer and has been picked on ever since. Honda just sorta joined in, but tries to be better than Jounouchi.

Yami was much more constant as the years went by, and Yugi loved it. Yami seemed able to send more of his emotions to Yugi, typically feeling what he felt, but sometimes Yami reacted differently to things. He still talked to Yugi often, usually when they were alone, Yugi kept quiet around other people.  
  
After what happened when he was younger, he didn't want to be picked on for speaking to himself, as people saw it. Or to his imaginary friend, like a lot of kids in elementary and the beginning of middle school thought. He wished there was a better way for him to speak with the spirit of the puzzle, but they have yet to figure that out.  
  
Yami had an idea, but he didn't dare bring it up with Yugi, at least not now.

When Yugi finished the puzzle, he and the spirit became soul mates of sorts, two souls in one body. Behind the main door in the labyrinth of Yami's soul, lead to a Yugi's own soul room. But Yami had yet to open the door, he didn't want to taint such a good child. He didn't know what would happen if he crossed the threshold to the other room. Maybe it would allow them to bond better, communicate better? Or maybe it will cause problems for them both, best to wait right now.

And... he didn't want Yugi to know that he lived inside of him instead of just the puzzle and in his savior's shadow. He was happy being inside of his only friend, knowing he could protect him better this way, even though he had yet to use any more of his shadow powers since Satoshi.

That was six years ago though, he has had no need to use his powers.  
  
Most of Yugi's recent bullying problem came from two students in his class, Jounouchi and Honda. Well, Jounouchi more than Honda, really. They weren't really awful, just... annoying. Still though, the spirit wasn't fond of them, he didn't know how his other self put up with them on a daily bases.

Like right now...  
  
Yugi had rejected the chance to go play basketball with his classmates during their break, he wanted to play with his game he had on his desk. When he was left alone, he had been too preoccupied with explaining the game to his secret friend to notice that Jounouchi had come up behind him, snatching the game away from him.  
  
“Jounouchi, please give me that back...” Yugi spoke quietly, frowning.  
  
Jounouchi rolled his eyes at this. “Yugi, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop talking to your little imaginary friend!” He exclaimed, glaring at the smaller student. “That's what pisses me off about you; you keep talking to someone that's not there!”  
  
Yugi frowned, biting his lip. “He is not imaginary! Just because you can't see him doesn't mean he doesn't exist! And please, give me that game back...” To most people, Yugi never brought up his other self, but Jounouchi seemed to have a weird habit of appearing when Yugi thought he was alone and could speak freely with Yami. Yugi tried explaining once before that Yami was a spirit that lived in his shadow but... wow, even he had thought that was a dumb thing to say, he got a laugh out of Jounouchi for it, then a heck of a noogie. Not a pleasant experience, but at least he wasn't beaten up for it.  
  
Brown eyes stared down at Yugi, lost in thought for a moment. “Hmm... No! I'll give it back, once I've taught you how to be a real man!” He held the game up over his head. “And to do that, you're going to have to hit me until I give it back.”  
  
He slapped at his chest. “Come on, hit me right here!”  
  
“I HATE FIGHTING!” Yugi shrieked, loud enough to make Jounouchi cover his ears and for the spirit to twitch.  
  
“Jeez! You're freakin' loud... and being all whiny like that is going to get you nowhere... that scream had no guts behind it...”  
  
Yugi sighed loudly, holding out his hand at his fellow classmate. “Please Jounouchi, could you give it back?”  
  
“Yeah, stop it and give him the box, Jounouchi.”  
  
The two boys turned, looking at the doorway to the classroom. Honda was there, straightening out his sash he wore.  
  
Jounouchi snorted. “Oh? You want something? First year student president reject clean up member Honda?” He smirked at his friend, any chance to tease him was gladly taken.  
  
“I am not a clean up member!” Honda barked. “I am a beautification club member!” As Honda started speaking about the wonders of being a member, Jounouchi turned back to Yugi and dropped his game on a desk.  
  
“Man, Yugi, you really need to learn to grow a pair.” He scoffed. “You can't keep being so weak and innocent, what if someone bigger than you comes up and just kicks the shit outta ya! What if they see that thing around your neck and want it for themselves? Whatcha gonna do then?”  
  
He paused, then grabbed the puzzle, looking at it. “What even is this? I'm surprised you're even allowed to wear it...” He carefully lifted it off of Yugi, staring at the golden object.  
  
Yugi winced. “Please be careful! That's very important to me!” He could faintly feel Yami getting tense, worried, but not too worried? It was hard to tell. “It's an ancient Egyptian puzzle my grandfather gave me, it means the world to me...”  
  
“What's so great about it?”  
  
“W-Well, it's special, it's the most difficult puzzle in the world, a-and it came with a special riddle as an extra puzzle..!”  
  
“What's the riddle?” He asked, a bit curious.  
  
Yugi gulped, blushing a bit. “It's... 'what's something that you can show, but can't see?'”  
  
Jounouchi raised an eyebrow, looking the puzzle over a few more times before tossing it in the air, catching it. “What? How boring.” Suddenly, the puzzle was snatched right out of his hand.  
  
Anzu held it now, giving Jounouchi a nasty glare. “If it's boring, then just give it back to him. Also, bullying someone weaker than you,” Yugi winced again, Anzu, not you as well... “you're the boring one!”  
  
The taller blond glared at her. “I'm not bullying the weak, I'm just trying to make Yugi a man...”  
  
“Shut up!” She yelled at him, just as their fellow classmate Miho entered. She mistook Anzu's exclamation to be directed at her, making her upset. Honda and Anzu tried to calm her down while Jounouchi tried to escape the sudden chaos.  
  
Yugi sighed, shaking his head as he moved to put his game away, taking the puzzle back from Anzu when she handed it to him. He held it close, seeing his shadow on the floor flicker and move. His other half seemed much more comfortable now.  
  
He slipped it on, turning to Anzu to speak with her when she checked to make sure he was okay. “You really shouldn't let him get away with that.” She commented, referring to Jounouchi.  
  
The boy chuckled a little. “I know, but... I know he's trying to do me a favor, but he just goes about it in... a brass way? I guess? I don't really mind, he doesn't beat me up, or insult me too much, mostly just calls me a weakling or something.”  
  
“He shouldn't do that.”  
  
“I know, but he's not harming me. I think I might need to toughen up a bit.” Sadly, Yugi knew that was easier said than done. He was tiny, didn't really develop muscles well (not that he tried, he didn't know what to even do to get started), and he didn't like violence like the kind Jounouchi and Honda got into a long time ago apparently. “Don't worry about me, Anzu, I'm fine.”  
  
He knew Jounouchi would never harm him, despite how tough the guy acted, Yugi knew that he had a heart of gold.  
  
–

_Other me, what are those men doing over there?_

Blinking, Yugi turned his attention to the direction that his shadow twisted itself towards. He saw the hall monitors of the school doing strange kicking and punching in a uniformed fashion, lead by their captain, Ushio.  
  
“Those are the hall monitors,” Yugi said softly, “I heard they do this stuff after school to be ready for whatever task they have to do the next day. Guess they're doing it outside today instead of in the gym.” He replied before making his way to the school gates once more.  
  
But he was stopped when Ushio seemed to approach him. “You're Mutou Yugi, correct?” He asked, getting a nod in response. “Actually, I wanted to ask you something. Have some of your classmates been bullying you lately?”  
  
This time, Yugi shook his head; he didn't want to get people in trouble, because that only led to more trouble that he didn't want to happen...  
  
“Nothing like that has been happening to me!”  
  
“Wait a moment...” Ushio frowned, “a person like you would respond like that. I must properly investigate this. You can relax from now on, Yugi. Because I, Ushio, your body guard, will protect you!”  
  
Yugi tilted his head, raising an eyebrow.

 _What in the world is he going on about..?_ His shadow twitched, going unnoticed by the two of them. Yami was defensive, he sensed trouble from Ushio, he might have to tap into his powers again it seems.

But only if things go from bad to worse...  
  
“Eh?!” Yugi squeaked out. “But I really haven't experienced that before! Excuse me!” He turned, running towards the gates, not noticing the smirk on the taller student's face.  
  
–  
  
The next day felt very off, like something wasn't right in the air. Who was sensing this, Yugi or Yami? Either way, the former felt uncomfortable. He just couldn't place what was off with today.  
  
It was break time again and Yugi was alone in the classroom, strange, he figured by now Jounouchi or Honda would show up to talk to him, try to pull that toughen up nonsense on him again. But the only person to come into the room was Ushio, who told Yugi to follow him, he had a surprise to show him.  
  
Turns out the surprise was the beaten forms of Jounouchi and Honda, laying against the back wall of the school.

“W-What in the world?!” Yugi gasped, why did he do this to them?! They never laid a hand on Yugi!  
  
“I told you, Yugi, I'm your bodyguard!” Ushio said proudly. “I decided to teach these bullies a lesson, one they wouldn't forget!”  
  
“T... that's...! Ushio! This is too much!” Yugi turned to the boys on the ground, panicked and fearful for their safety. “A... are you alright, Jounouchi?! Honda?!”  
  
Jounouchi coughed, looking up at Yugi with a weary smirk. “Yugi... you bastard... are you happy now?”  
  
That broke the boy's heart, for Jounouchi to think that he would ever want this! “It's not true! You think I asked him to do this...?!” He was suddenly knocked to the ground, Ushio telling him he wasn't done with them yet. With that, he gave the blond a hard kick to the ribs, right in front of Yugi.

Just as he was about to do it again, Yugi jumped in the way, yelling for him to stop.  
  
“What's this? Are you protecting them, Yugi? You're a strange one.” Ushio commented. “This is your chance to get back at them for everything. Hit them! Kick them!”  
  
“I can't do that to my friends!” Yugi screamed, the words catching Jounouchi's attention. Did... Yugi think of them as his friends?  
  
“Hahahaha... you're a real winner. You call them your friends?” Ushio smirked, amused by this. “Are you serious? These are the guys who pick on you every day!”  
  
“They weren't picking on me...” Yugi said softly, his bravado starting to vanish. “They were teaching me to be a man...” He sensed that Yami was very alert right now, very worried and protective of his host.  
  
The taller man scoffed. “Well, whatever... but remember, Yugi! You still have to pay me what you owe! Bodyguard charges... 200,000 yen!”  
  
Yugi's eyes widened, there was no way he could pay that much money! Ushio chuckled, telling him for that price, Yugi could beat those two up all he wanted, take all of his troubles out on them. Yugi just stared at him, looking so defeated... “What's this?” Ushio asked. “You aren't satisfied until I hurt them even more?”  
  
“Don't touch these two any more!” Yugi exclaimed. “If you're going to hurt someone, hurt me!”  
  
Jounouchi gasped, no, why would Yugi say that! Was he crazy?! Why defend them, they've only been jerks to him!  
  
“You're beyond strange, you're crazy...” Ushio glared, grabbing Yugi by the front of his shirt. “All right then, as you wish. Normally, I hate picking on people, but this isn't 'bullying', this is a 'warning'!”  
  
Yugi only had a split second to realize what he had gotten himself into.

He was suddenly punched, thrown to the ground, only to be kicked hard. Jounouchi watched in horror and shock at the beating that Yugi was taking... the beating he was taking for him and Honda... 'W-why are you doing this?' He thought. 'If you stayed quiet like always... if you didn't resist... you wouldn't get hurt! You're protecting us?! Yugi!'  
  
As Yugi was beaten over and over, he couldn't help but think to his other half. 'Other me... spirit... I think I know what I want to wish for on the puzzle...' He doubted that Yami could hear his thoughts, but he was trying hard for the other to hear his heart...  
  
He took another good hit to the face. 'I wish for friends... friends I can count on..! Friends who can count on me..! No matter what!'  
  
He coughed hard, his whole body ached as he laid on the ground. Ushio smirked, reaching down to grab the Millennium Puzzle, removing it from Yugi's person. “Heh, how about this, not only will I give you a worse beating if you don't get me that money... I'll also break this stupid thing of yours. If you're good, I might give it back to you... piece by piece...”  
  
He pulled something from his pocket, a knife. “If you don't get me the money by tomorrow, not only will that stupid necklace be broken, and you get a worse beating, I'll even use this on your so called friends, and it won't end well for 'em...” With that, he turned, laughing as he walked off with the puzzle.  
  
Yugi wheezed, sitting up painfully. No... his puzzle, he needed that... he... the spirit, his shadow... he couldn't feel him like he normally did, he was feeling fainter and fainter with each step Ushio took. He could barely keep his eyes open, he was... he was passing out...  
  
Jounouchi looked at the unconscious boy, no, Yugi didn't deserve that beating, nor did he deserve to have his puzzle taken. “Honda, get up, we gotta take Yugi home...” He grunted, carefully getting himself up. He approached Yugi, looking at him.  
  
'Yugi...' He... he actually stood up to someone, he defended the likes of him and Honda, when he didn't have to.

And... he considered them friends.  
  
'Don't worry, Yugi, I'll make sure to repay you, cause that's what friends do...' He was going to find Ushio and get that puzzle back, it meant the world to Yugi, as he had said before.  
  
Honda carefully helped pick Yugi up, holding him in his arms. “We don't deserve his help.”  
  
“I know. But he did it all on his own. The least we can do now is take him home and make sure he's okay.”  
  
“Right.”  
  
They turned, walking away from the back of the school. They didn't get far from the school, walking past the waterway that sat next to it, when Jounouchi spotted Ushio near it. He growled, moving to go get him, when he stopped.  
  
He watched as the jerk toyed with the puzzle, before struggling with it.

What... was he doing?  
  
Jounouchi's eyes widened as he saw Ushio pull out the eye piece. Suddenly, he jumped at the horrible, pained scream that came from Yugi the moment the piece came out. The unconscious boy in Honda's arms curled up, clutching at his chest, as if he had just been stabbed. He eased up, panting hard, still gripping his shirt where his heart was, but he remained unconscious.

_Other Me..._

Maybe it was a trick of the eye, but Jounouchi swore he saw something move in the shadows that he and the other two cast on the ground, something wicked, angry... and did he just hear a voice? No, probably the wind, or something else... maybe Yugi mumbled something in his passed out state...  
  
His attention went back to Ushio, who was smirking at them. He held both the puzzle and the piece he removed before throwing them into the waterway, laughing as he walked away.  
  
Jounouchi felt a swirling rage inside of him at the sight, damn you, Ushio, you were gonna pay!  
  
–

Yugi laid in his bed, his body ached and his heart felt cold and empty, like something was missing.  
  
Oh... right...

His other self was nowhere to be seen, he couldn't feel him, his shadow was perfectly normal. Was Yami that connected to the puzzle? Damnit, he needed the puzzle back, but... he only had 1656 yen... nowhere close to what he needed to pay that horrible bully.  
  
He sniffled, rubbing at his face, wincing when he bumped a patched up bruise. He had woken up in his room not too long ago, his grandfather had told him that two young men who were in a nasty state as well had taken him home. They had stayed long enough to make sure Yugi would be alright before leaving.  
  
Yugi knew they were Jounouchi and Honda, it... was nice of them to take him home. Maybe it was a 'now we're even' thing... He didn't know, that was the least of his problems, he just wanted his puzzle back.

'I'm so sorry, Other Me...' He held back a sob, burying his face into his pillow. He froze up when he heard his bedroom door open.  
  
“Yugi?” Oh, it was Grandpa. “Are you alright?”  
  
“N-no, Grandpa, I lost my puzzle, it was taken from me, and I don't think I'll ever get it back...”  
  
Grandpa chuckled softly. “You should have more faith.” Yugi glanced back at him, confused. “Your wish will be granted!” From behind his back, the older Mutou pulled out the puzzle and the piece that had been removed.  
  
Yugi jumped out of bed in joy. “G-grandpa!” He hugged him tightly, thanking him over and over. “You got it back for me!”  
  
“Yugi...” Grandpa grinned at him. “I wasn't the one who got it back.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“A friend of yours came by, he asked me to give them to you. Even though it wasn't raining, he was soaking wet.”  
  
Yugi smiled, looking at the eye piece and the puzzle, not even caring that the rope for it was still damp. 'Who could that have been? Thank you anyway!' He happily thought.  
  
Grandpa frowned softly, he held an envelope in his hands, containing the money that Jounouchi had told him Yugi needed. The young man had told him everything that had happened, the least Grandpa could do is help Yugi out with the money problem. Hopefully it will do him good...  
  
He told his grandson goodnight, making his way into the hall. He glanced back, the light from Yugi's open door shone into the hallway. He saw a shadow in the shape of his grandson, eyes stared at him from it. He watched the shadow bow before it retreated into the room. Grandpa froze, staring at where it had been just a moment ago. He chuckled softly to himself. Yugi may have solved the puzzle years ago, but tonight is when he would truly harness what it was capable of doing.

It's written in the Book of the Dead that the one who solves that puzzle inherits the Shadow Games. He becomes the guardian of the right and passes judgment on evil.

Yugi, this is your destiny tonight, your wish, your inherited right.  
  
–

The piece of the puzzle was returned to its proper place once more.  
  
The light from all those years ago returned, and Yugi saw blackness for the second time today.

_So... it's game time..._

–

It was midnight as Ushio stood outside of the school, wondering why Yugi had called him out here. He glanced around, wondering where he was, only to stop a figure sitting not too far from him. He was startled to see that it was Yugi... only not?  
  
He looked like Yugi, but his hair was just as wild as the look in his (crimson?) eyes. He was in the school uniform, but with more leather and accessories. Around his neck was the puzzle? When did he get that? Uhg, probably that stupid Jounouchi...

“ _Thanks for coming, Ushio...”_ 'Yugi' smirked, toying with his pendant.  
  
Ushio twitched, suddenly feeling very unnerved, but like hell he'd show that. “Well, I gotta hand it to you! I can tell you're going to be a good boy and give me the money like I asked. Don't like the weird costume, but that's okay!” He thrust out his hand at this strange kid. “Hand it over, now! The cash! The money! 200,000 yen!”  
  
'Yugi' stared at him, that strange smirk still on his lips. “It's right here...” He held up his hand, showing a thick pile of cash. “And I've raised it to 400,000.” This obviously excited the bully.  
  
“But this much money...” 'Yugi' started, “it wouldn't be any fun to just hand it over. So.. how about you play a game with me!”  
  
“A game?” Ushio asked, very startled by the sudden air of confidence that seemed to swirl around this kid. What the hell? He wasn't like this earlier, even when he tried to act brave!

Was this really Yugi?  
  
“Right, not just any game, a Shadow Game!” 'Yugi' said, sounding way more amused than he should be. “How about it? If you win, you get more that 200,000 yen!”  
  
“Interesting...” The taller man smirked.  
  
“We need one tool to play this game. That knife you've got hidden, Ushio.” When Ushio pulled out the knife, he handed it to 'Yugi', who set it down on a set of blocks, used by the gym classes. The money was set down next to the blade and 'Yugi' gave a little nod to himself, yes, this would do.  
  
Money and a knife, what sort of game did this kid have planned exactly?  
  
“I'll explain the rules.” 'Yugi' stated, putting the cash on the back of his hand as he placed it on the top of the blocks. He picked up the knife and pointed the tip down at the money. “The players take turns putting the money on the top of their hand and stabbing it with the knife. The player keeps only the money that the knife stabs, and he must always take more than one bill.”  
  
He set the game pieces down, the smirk still on his face, like this was all a big joke to him. “The game continues until the last bill is gone! The challenge is to take as much money as possible. If a player tries to take the money by hand, or quit the game in the middle, he loses and forfeits all the money to the opponent.”  
  
The look in those crimson eyes of 'Yugi's' sent a cold shiver down Ushio's spine. “Doesn't that sound interesting?” The weird kid asked, loving how he already had Ushio bothered by his game, and it had yet to ever start!  
  
Time to freak him out more.  
  
“But!” 'Yugi' continued, “if you break the rules, as punishment the Penalty Game decides your fate!”  
  
“Interesting... let's get started then!” Ushio gulped, trying to keep his cool.  
  
They played ro sham bo to see who would go first, with the smaller of the two winning.  
  
'Yugi' picked up the knife, waiting a moment before he stabbed the money, pulling the knife away. “Phew! I didn't even get ten bills... I thought I'd put my strength in it, but they're not easy to stab.” He said, sounding amused, and a little relieved.  
  
He handed the knife over to Ushio, who seemed just as nervous as he had been when he had his turn. “If you use too much strength, you'll stab yourself.” 'Yugi' told him, sounding like he found that humorous. “The point of the game is to control your greed.”  
  
“Shut your trap!” Ushio barked at him, stabbing down at the cash. He laughed nervous as he pulled the knife away. “Hehehehehe...! Look! Over 100,000 yen! And not a mark on my hand! I should have stabbed harder!”  
  
“Not bad! But it gets harder to control your strength with each turn.” 'Yugi' chuckled, taking his turn now. “There's not a lot of money left... the game is almost over.” He commented, giving the knife back to Ushio.  
  
Ushio chuckled, getting himself ready for his turn. “The rest of the money is mine!” He grinned, but suddenly felt unnerved. He couldn't relax his arm! He felt like he was using too much strength, if he brought his arm down, he's stab right through not only the cash, but his own hand!  
  
'Yugi' watched him, a dark, amused smile on his lips. “In the Shadow Games, a person's true nature is revealed to decide their fate! Ushio, your right arm is controlled by your greed. You can no longer stop it. What will you do? Will you sacrifice your hand to get the money, or...”  
  
“Hehehehe! The answer is simple!” Ushio exclaimed. “There is a way I can take a stab, without hurting my left hand and getting all the money!  
  
“You let me hold this knife! That's why you lose! Die, Yugi!” He suddenly swung his arm towards 'Yugi', who just grinned, jumping out of the way of the deadly swing.  
  
He looked up at Ushio, a strange eye of light glowed bright on his forehead.  
  
_“Just as I thought. You weren't able to follow the rules after all! The Door of Darkness has been opened...!”_  
  
“W-what the hell...? His forehead... that eye...!” Ushio stammered out, the air around them felt cold and heavy, as if they were in a frozen location...  
  
_“This is only seen by those who 'trespass in my soul'! Like those who hurt my savior's friends, and try to steal his money!”_  
  
The eye glowed brighter as 'Yugi' swung his hand, pointing right at the other. _“Penalty game!_ _ **GREED!**_ _The illusion of avarice!”_  
  
A blast of light struck Ushio and before his eyes was... it was... money! Hundreds of thousands of bills fluttered around him as he happily reached for them, grabbing at what he could catch.  
  
“They say that money can make your head spin, but now the only thing in your head is the illusion of avarice!” 'Yugi' said, knowing the other really wasn't listening to him. He shook his head, taking the money he had used in the game, making it vanish. An illusion, nothing more, nothing less. He turned, heading for the school gates.

“For as greedy as you are, this might be a happy end for you, heheheheh...”  
  
**GAME OVER**  
  
–  
  
Grandpa found on the counter in the game shop the next morning the envelope he had given Yugi the night before, with a small note.  
  
_Thank you for trying to help, but the problem has been solved._

There was no name, and it didn't look like Yugi's handwriting. The old gambler had a pretty good idea of who could have left this note for him, he didn't bother to question things.  
  
–

It was a strange sight to see, Ushio the head of the hall monitors, sitting in a pile of dead leaves and garbage, happily enjoying it, saying it was all his. Did... something happen? Did he finally snap? No one had a single clue as to what was going on.  
  
Yugi yawned as he walked on the school grounds, completely ignoring his bully having the time of his life in that weird pile of garbage.  
  
What a night, he couldn't remember a single thing that happened after he fixed the puzzle. But when he woke up this morning, he felt weirdly better, his bruises and bumps didn't hurt as much, and he felt some weird form of pride and satisfaction from inside of himself. Was it Yami? He knew the other was back, he had happily talked to him this morning.  
  
He asked Yami what had happened after he blacked out, the spirit had simply said Yugi went to sleep, and he left it at that. Damnit, still a mysterious guy...  
  
Oh well, he got his treasure back, he was so happy!  
  
“Yo, Yugi!”  
  
Yugi blinked, turning to see Jounouchi leaning against a wall, bandaged up like he was. “Ah, Jounouchi!”  
  
“How are you today?”  
  
“Fine, and you, Jounouchi?”  
  
The other huffed, pouting a bit. “This is nothing, happens all the time. Yugi, if you can keep a treasure, so can I! Want to see?”  
  
“Yep!”  
  
He smirked at him. “Heh, you can't! I'll give you a hint. It's 'something you can show, but can't see'!”  
  
Yugi was confused, what could it be? And why did Jounouchi use the puzzle's riddle for this hint?  
  
“You give up?” Jounouchi smiled softly at him, an honest smile. “C'mon... it's Yu-Jyo! Friendship! Thanks for showing me that we're friends!”  
  
The smaller boy was shocked at hearing these words, but he felt a burst of joy a second late. “Okay!” He said happily, he couldn't believe this, he and Jounouchi were friends!  
  
“Well... later! See you in class!” The blond suddenly hightailed it out of there, feeling embarrassed for saying such mushy stuff, losing his shoe in the process. Yugi chased after him with the shoe as the school bell rang.  
  
Behind him, the shadow chuckled softly, feeling proud to have granted Yugi's long awaited wish for him. Now that Yugi had used the wish, and had truly solved the puzzle, the ancient being knew that the Shadow Games were going to be much more frequent, the powers they contained swirled and moved about in his chambers, waiting for the chance to be released.  
  
In due time, in due time...  
  
TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, this was a bitch to write.
> 
> Okay, you're probably wondering about the puzzle and Yugi screaming in pain. In this story, because Yugi has the puzzle solved longer than canon Yugi, his soul is very much connected to Yami's own, there's a stronger bond between them. Though, sadly, it is very much unchecked, Yami is still stuck mainly as Yugi's literal shadow, only controlling his host when Yugi is very distressed and someone needs to be taught a lesson.
> 
> Yugi screamed in pain when the puzzle piece was removed because Yami was basically ripped from his soul. Yami has yet to learn how to really separate them, which I plan for him to do after Death-T, when he is much more powerful and much more capable of using his magic for things like that. He doesn't want to really be a leech on Yugi anymore, nor does he want to just be his shadow. Yami basically lives off of Yugi in this story, which he hates. When Yami uses energy, he's using both shadow and Yugi's own, so when Yugi takes control again, he's gonna be a sleepy person. By the time Otogi's father breaks the puzzle before Battle City, Yugi won't feel pain, but... I could keep that in, just to make shit worse for him when he has to rebuild it in the fire... hmm...
> 
> Anyway, whatever, that is just some bullshit I came up with for this.
> 
> Next chapter: There's a camera crew on school grounds somewhere and Yugi gets to be the 'star' of the show. 
> 
> Please comment, I always love hearing what you guys think and what you'd love to see or have changed! This story is open to changes, so don't be afraid to say anything!


	4. Lying Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the Shadow Game for this chapter was the very first one I ever read for the Yugioh manga. I got the second issue of Shonen Jump back in 2003 and my first introduction to the manga for this series was the one where Yami Yugi blinded a director. Quite a big difference from the anime haha.
> 
> I honestly shouldn't be writing, I'm in my last six weeks of the semester and I have two big projects coming up that I need to do, along with papers, but... I really want to write this story right now. So when updates begin to become less frequent, it's me busy with school.
> 
> On with the fic!

It had happened so quickly, one minute the spirit felt like he was broken, his body in cold pain, surrounded by the darkness again, only for the light to return, the pain and darkness to leave him alone.  
  
Suddenly, he stood in Yugi's room, the puzzle in his hands... no, in Yugi's hands. Right, this had happened before, six years ago, when the puzzle was first finished. He was in control of Yugi's body, but only for a short amount of time, he did not want to waste this borrowed energy, the shadows were still weary of letting him use them for all of this.  
  
But... they seemed happy to help tonight, maybe the longer the puzzle stays solved, the stronger he and they become?  
  
Well, that is something to thing about for another day, tonight, he had business to take care of.  
  
Time to make Ushio pay for what he had done to his host and his friends...  
  
–

 _You seem really happy this morning, Yugi.  
_  
“Oh? How can you tell?”  
  
_Aside from the smile, I can sense that you are really happy._  
  
“Why wouldn't I be? I have two new friends and the puzzle is safe!”  
  
Yugi smiled brightly as he walked to school as he usually did after getting off the bus, though today, he took a small detour to meet up with his new friend. Ever since the day that Jounouchi confirmed their friendship, just the day before actually, they've been talking more and more, finding out they had things in common and actually enjoyed each others' company. Yami was proud of this, sure he granted Yugi's wish, but he knew that Yugi really started this friendship off on his own.  
  
He has noticed that Jounouchi is very good with Yugi, sure he still liked to tease him and such, but he honestly cared about Yugi. Yami greatly approved of Jounouchi.

Well... for the most part.  
  
“Yugi...” The blond started, giving the smaller boy a look. “Stop talking to yourself, I thought you've stopped that.”  
  
Yugi blushed deeply, laughing nervously. “Ah, sorry Jounouchi..! It's sort of a force of habit... b-but anyway, did you watch that movie..?” Yugi said, trying to change the subject. Looks like it worked, as his new friend told him about how hard he has squinted at the TV, but still couldn't see past the damn pixels! Damnit, all he wanted to see was dirty stuff...  
  
The other boy chuckled, shaking his head, hearing Yami chuckle at Jounouchi's antics. Suddenly the blond was in his face, grinning at him. “You know, I can let you borrow it, ya little pervert!”  
  
“Y-yeah?! Thanks!” Yugi grinned, blushing. Hey, he was a teenager after all, he was curious about those things!  
  
As the two of them walked onto the school grounds, they spotted a TV van, wondering what that was doing there. Jounouchi didn't know why it was there, but he thought a television star could be going to the school, Yugi assumed a movie star was on the grounds.  
  
Both were possibilities, only one way to find out!  
  
Yugi approached the van, pressing his face against a glass window. Damnit, it was one-way glass, he couldn't see if anyone was inside.  
  
But someone certainly saw him.  
  
–  
  
“What?! A star?!”  
  
“Come on guys! There has to be a star in this school! Why else would a TV van be here?”  
  
“Maybe they just parked outside; don't get your hopes up, Jounouchi.”

“I'm not getting my hopes up, but it's fun to think about!”  
  
“What if there really is a star? Maybe Miho can get on TV!”  
  
“M-Miho would be the most beautiful actress ever..!”  
  
“Thank you, Honda!”  
  
“What a puppet.”  
  
“Shut up, Jounouchi!”  
  
“...”  
  
Yugi watched as Jounouchi told the rest of their friends about the van outside, and kept stating that there was an actor or actress here, and that the school could be used for a new television show or a movie. He wanted to tell his new friend that he doubted this, but the idea of a famous person being here would be really cool.

Well, aside from that Kaiba kid in their class, but he doesn't talk to anyone, and he's only famous for being the son of a CEO.

Yami quietly listened to the conversation going on, wondering what was so great about all of this. He asked Yugi what was going on, but the other really couldn't reply. He whispered to Yami about what had happened that morning and the conversation.  
  
“What do you think is going on, Other Me?” He quietly asked.  
  
_Frankly, I don't know and I don't care for this whole television thing that you guys are talking about, but for some reason when you were at the van... I felt a bad vibe coming from it, so be on your guard._  
  
“Of course I will.”  
  
“You will? Thanks, Yugi!”  
  
The boy blinked, looking up at Jounouchi, to see the huge grin on his face. He had just replied to Yami the moment that Jounouchi had asked Yugi for help of loving for this mysterious person. Oh damnit, him and his big mouth... but he couldn't just be mean and suddenly reject his new friend's request for help, so...  
  
He stood up, following Jounouchi, though this didn't stop him from telling the other that this might as well end up being a lost cause. Jounouchi got huffy about this, saying that fine, he could do this on his own!

Before he could go after Jounouchi, Yugi felt tension inside of him, from his other half. A warning of sorts, just as an older looking man in their school uniform approached him.  
  
'This guy must be a senior, but he looks like a college student... I wonder what he wants.' Yugi thought, looking up at the 'student'. “Um... who are you?”  
  
_Keep your guard up..._  
  
“My name is Fujita.” The older man said and Yugi gave a slight bow, as a sign of respect, even if he didn't trust this guy. He was giving him a bad feeling...  
  
“I know that there is an idol in the school! Do you know about it, Yugi?”  
  
Yugi blinked, how did this guy know he knew that something was up? Wait, did he work with the possible star! Oh wow, he couldn't wait to tell Jounouchi, that will cheer the other up!  
  
Fujita told him that he would get the two hooked up behind the school after hours, and Yugi felt like this could be a good thing.  
  
The spirit though... he knew something was very fishy about this. He might have to take control again today if things turned sticky...  
  
–  
  
Yugi made his way behind the school, excited to see if this really was gonna be a big thing or not. He had told Jounouchi earlier in class, his friend was going to come by soon, he just had to go get something first.  
  
As Yugi walked to the back of the school, he felt feelings of caution, high alert, from Yami. Was something wrong? The other was so quiet, he really needs to voice his concerns more instead of keeping them to himself.  
  
He came to a stop when he saw Fujita standing there with a smirk on his lips.  
  
“So... where is this star you told me about...?” He asked timidly.  
  
Fujita leaned a little closer to him. “Come here, Yugi. I have something to tell you about the star...” As Yugi leaned closer, he failed to notice the fist that was coming down towards his face, until it was too late.  
  
_Other me! NO!_  
  
“Moron! There is no idol and never will be!” Fujita yelled, striking Yugi once more, and getting ready to do it again, but he stopped when someone yelled. Jounouchi came running towards them out of the bushes, a video camera in his hand. Huh, he was here the whole time?  
  
“What the hell are you doing?!” Jounouchi barked, grabbing the stranger by the collar of his shirt. “You creep! What did you think you were doing to my pal!? I'll kill you!”  
  
This seemed to scare the hell out of Fujita as he tried to apologize, saying he was only doing this because of the direction.

Jounouchi looked in the direction that the other man was pointing in, seeing a man with a beard, clapping his hands. He had a nasty look on his face as he smirked. “That's enough, I'll take over from here.”  
  
“You!” Jounouchi dropped Fujita. “You're the one who made him do this to Yugi!” His attention went to his friend on the ground. “Yugi, are you okay?!”  
  
Yugi nodded. “I'm sorry Jounouchi... I guess we were wrong on this whole idol thing...”  
  
“Only because we believed the shit that they were shoving down our throats!”  
  
The director looked disappointed. “Don't waste film on these guys, they're friends.” He walked over to them, looking down at the blond. “Well, Yugi was unfortunate to get the part of the victim, just a bad roll of the dice, I guess.”  
  
He chuckled, looking at Yugi. “Now, thanks to him, we've filmed a great show! The audience will feel so sorry for him! Yugi, you're the hero! The hero of my broadcast that is.” He laughed, only filling Jounouchi with more rage.  
  
“I'll kill you...” He ground out, glaring deeply at the director, moving to get a punch in at him, only stopping when he was reminded that the camera was going to capture this. The director looked at the cameraman, gesturing for him to turn off the camera, just as he drove his knee into the high schooler's stomach.  
  
“Jounouchi!” Yugi screamed, seeing his friend drop from the sudden attacked, knocked unconscious by the blow. He felt the blackness from the other night coming back to him, power surging through him, power of pure anger and the want for revenge...  
  
The director walked off laughing, saying he would cover up Yugi's face with pixels so people wouldn't recognize him.  
  
He had no idea what terrors he was about to face when Yugi opened his eyes, crimson glaring at the director's back as a smirk came to him, third eye glowing brightly.  
  
–

 **Z TV Broadcasting Station**  
  
The director walked towards his van, laughing about the money that would come in thanks to the stuff he had filmed today, he even pondered the idea of killing someone on camera. As he was about to get into his car, he noticed that he wasn't alone...  
  
In the side mirror of his car, he saw the reflection of 'Yugi', grinning at him. _“I've been waiting for you, director.”_ He said, voice eerily different, much more commanding, much more brave.  
  
The older man turned, looking at 'Yugi', frowning. “Oh, you're that Yugi kid. What the hell, it's the middle of the night! Did you come to get paid?”  
  
'Yugi' continued to stare at him, it was unsettling with those strange eyes he had. “You have stumbled into my and my host's souls, as well as the soul of Jounouchi. There for, you must become my opponent... in a game.”  
  
“A game...?” Was this really the same kid from before, it's like a complete 180 on the personality scale. The director watched as 'Yugi' dug into his pocket, pulling something out. It was a single die, perfectly normal outside of the one spot being an Egyptian looking eye.  
  
“Don't worry, it's just a simple game of dice. Since the era of ancient Egypt, dice have been used to determine a man's fate. At that time, they were called 'astragals', or the uneven heel bones of animals. But they were crooked and uneven, unlike today's dice.”  
  
The director glared at him, but 'Yugi' just kept his gamer face on, he could sense that he was making the man uneasy. Perfect, this made it easier for the shadows to judge him. 'Yugi' tossed the die up and down a few times as he explained the rules of their game.  
  
“Now, here are the rules, they're actually really simple! After I roll the die, if you roll a lower number then you win, and the same goes if you and I get the same number. So you get two chances to win! But if your roll is higher, then you have to play a Penalty Game, a Game of Darkness.”  
  
The older man growled, turning away, saying that this game was extremely stupid and he didn't have to play it at all.  
  
But 'Yugi' dropped the die anyway.  
  
_“Game start.”_  
  
The die dropped to the ground, bouncing a few times before landing on the six side. The director laughed loudly as he pointed at 'Yugi', who wasn't doing much of anything now that he had rolled the die.

“I automatically win! I don't even need to roll that stupid thing!”  
  
'Yugi' just continued to stare at him. “You certainly seem lucky...” his smirk growing at he spoke, “but the game's not over until you roll.”  
  
The director glared, picking up the die. “Damn, what a stubborn guy!” He then hurled it right at 'Yugi's face. “Then have it your way! I'll even put a hole in your head for good measure!”  
  
There was a loud clack as the die struck the boy, before dropping to the ground, the one face staring up at them. 'Yugi' didn't even seem fazed by any of this as he heard the man laugh at him.  
  
“Ha! I win!”  
  
'Yugi' only chuckled, keeping his hold on the Millennium Puzzle up by his face, where he had used it to block the die from striking him. “Looks like you have to play a Penalty Game...”  
  
The die, it seems, had broken in two when it struck the puzzle, showing that the man's real outcome was a one side and six side, which meant...  
  
“A SEVEN!?”

“ _The Door of Darkness has been opened...”_  
  
The area surrounding them became cold as death, darkness swirling about them, licking at their skin. The only light in the area was that of the glowing third eye on the boy's forehead as he glared at the director.  
  
_“Penalty Game! Mosaic Illusion!”_  
  
Before the director's eyes came a golden light, a strange symbol, before... something was wrong...! His vision, everything... everything was turning into pixel mosaics! He couldn't see anything but those! He screamed in fear, what was going on?!  
  
“Director, you have twisted the reality in front of the camera to suit your needs... therefore, you will see the world through a filter of mosaics!”  
  
With that, 'Yugi' picked up his broken die, watching it vanish, along with the shadows. Everything, but the blind director, returned to normal. He scoffed at the man before making his exit, he needed to go home and rest, even a small game like this was draining.  
  
**GAME OVER**  
  
–

When Yugi woke up from blacking out, he found that he was in his room. He also noticed that the places where he had been injured were patched up, and a note was on the nightstand. It was hand written, but Yugi couldn't place who wrote it.  
  
The note told him that Jounouchi was fine, that he had made it home safely, as did Yugi obviously. Both of their wounds were taken care of. It also stated that the director is learning an important lesson about harming people for the sake of ratings and publicity.  
  
Yugi didn't know who wrote the letter, but he was thankful for the person's help anyway. He asked Yami if he knew what this was all about, but the spirit seemed exhausted and only replied that he wasn't sure if now was a good time to talk about it, he needed to rest.  
  
That made Yugi a little suspicious, but he didn't question it much, just as long as his friend was safe, that's all he cared about right now.  
  
–  
  
“Morning!”  
  
“Morning!”  
  
“Hehe... Yugi! Thank me! This is the tape!”  
  
“Yahoo! Thank you, Jounouchi!”  
  
“I hope you like it, you dog!”  
  
“AACK!”  
  
“What's this? A good movie? Is it really that interesting? Then I'll borrow it!”  
  
“Give it back, Anzu!”  
  
TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this time, but there will be longer ones. I might mix chapters together to make things longer, and to put less stress on myself when writing these. I have to use my manga collection and the season zero episodes to write most of the scenes. A lot of the dialogue is already written by the characters, but I've changed some stuff up for the story.
> 
> Next chapter: Yugi has to help a fellow classmate out with a problem both of them are stuck in. Remember kids, silence is golden, that's how you win the Shut Up Game.
> 
> Please comment! I'm always open to feedback! 
> 
> (Seriously though, I'd love to know if I should have Kaiba have another self in this story or not, I really want to know, I'll be coming up to the Kaiba chapters soon)


	5. Hard Beat!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not one of the more well known games that Yami Yugi plays in the manga, but god damn do I love his expressions in this one, same with Yugi's. As much as I love the main art of YuGiOh, the one that Kazuki Takahashi stuck with for so long, the original stuff seemed much more... fluid??? I dunno, that's just my opinion.
> 
> Anyway, I mentioned in my next chapter description of a game called the Shut Up Game, that's technically what the game is called, but most translations put it as the Silence Game. Shut Up Game sounds funnier and more snarky.
> 
> On with the fic!
> 
> EDIT: Why didn't anyone tell me I wrote a scene in the second perspective in this chapter? My normal style of writing was exposed... whoops.

_My name is Yugi, every morning while waiting for the school bus, I always think one thing, is that today is going to be a fun day._

Yugi yawned, waiting for the school bus to arrive. Hm, he was really tired, maybe he shouldn't have stayed up late wondering over that note he had found the night following him getting beaten up by that jerk and the director. The writing wasn't neat, it was like it was written by someone who didn't write much, the kanji was also a bit simple.  
  
He tried bothering Yami about it last night, but the other brushed him off and retreated to the puzzle, saying he didn't know what that note was about and that he didn't see who wrote it. Yugi really didn't like how the spirit kept dodging his questions about it and about how he got home. He has asked Jounouchi about it yesterday morning, after the video tape incident, but he said he didn't even remember how he got home himself.  
  
One minute he was struck in the stomach, the next, he was standing outside of his apartment building, like he had just walked there in a daze. He didn't know what happened, maybe he spaced out really hard? He didn't know.  
  
Yugi was very suspicious, hm... it's kinda like what happened when he blacked out that other time, he was in his room, in his pajamas, with some of his more... uhh... secret clothes thrown about on the floor. He never wore those outside of his room, those were for his secret enjoyment of trying to look punk and cool, but he had no confidence of wearing them outside.  
  
Well... until that morning after that blackout, he weirdly felt compelled to wear them under his uniform, the only evidence of them was the collar around his throat. Plus, his other self said he looked good in them, went well with the puzzle and his hair.  
  
Yugi blinked, snapping out of his thoughts when the bus arrived. He got on, finding that the bus was really crowded today! Uhg, too many people, and damnit, he's so short... he was gonna get crushed. He got an elbow to the head, wincing at the sharp pain. Yami seemed to be alert at this.  
  
_Are you alright, other me?_  
  
“I'm alright... the bus is just really busy today...” Yugi mumbled, trying to keep his voice low amongst all these people. They probably weren't even paying him any attention, but still. He felt Yami ease up before relaxing, seeming to go back to wherever he goes in the puzzle when he's not active. Yugi wondered what he did when he wasn't talking to Yugi, what was in the puzzle?  
  
He wondered if the other slept, sometimes he seemed groggy when he was alert. 'Wait... how does a spirit sleep? And where...'  
  
His thoughts were stopped when Yugi noticed someone on the bus from his class. It was Hanasaki! 'I never noticed that we took the same bus to school before.' As Yugi said hello to his classmate, Hanasaki turned, looked at him for a moment, before glancing away.  
  
'Ouch... he ignored me...' Yugi pouted. 'Or maybe he didn't recognize me, which is really odd for someone to do when they know me.' Also, how the hell can you not recognize him, Yugi stood out like a sore thumb, even he knew this.  
  
'But then again, Hanasaki and I have never really spoken much to each other anyway, he acts a lot like I use to before I became friends with the others...'  
  
As Yugi pondered things, the bus came to a sudden emergency stop, causing Yugi to stumble backwards a few feet out of the crowd. He blinked, noticing that the back of the bus was completely empty.  
  
What? Why?  
  
But then he realized why the back was empty today, and he wish he hadn't...  
  
A pounding sound was coming from the very back seats, and it was hurting Yugi's ears just to hear it from where he stood. It was as if he was right in front of a set of speakers right now, how can anyone play music that loud outside of a concert?!

Then he realized who was listening to the music, it was Souzouji, from class C, nodding to the blaring sound coming from his headphones. How was he not deaf?!  
  
Yugi gulped, trying his best to sneak away without being spotted.  
  
“Hold it right there, Yugi!”  
  
Well, fuck!  
  
Yugi shuddered, turning to looking at the larger student, seeing the very excited look in his eyes. “Hey! There's a seat free right here!” He yelled over his music as he patted the empty seat next to him.  
  
The smaller boy didn't take it, due to the fear that he might get himself stuck in a situation he really didn't want to deal with right now, though with his luck he was going to end up doing it anyway.

It always happens, uhg.  
  
His nervousness and worry seemed to get Yami's attention, making him feel caution and curiosity from the spirit of the puzzle. He tried to mentally reassure Yami that this wasn't a big deal, though he knew the other couldn't hear his thoughts. At least not that he knew of, but he could sense his emotions, so he tried that.  
  
Yami shifted, becoming Yugi's shadow. He felt the music actually making the floor shake a little, how the hell could that man listen to such horrible sounds at such a volume?!

“So, it's really great that I caught you, Yugi!” Souzouji grinned at him, still speaking loudly. “Because I'm holding another one of my all-night solo live shows! How'd you like to come and hear my magnificent voice?!”  
  
Yugi inwardly groaned, damnit! He knew this was another one of these things...  
  
_Who the hell is this guy? Can you tell him to shut his music off? And what is he talking about?_ Yami sighed, already done with this guy's shit. He just wanted to rest, get himself ready for any real issues that might come about that require his use of justice and magic, but how the hell can he sleep when he can literally hear this horrible music in his soul room!?

Didn't help that it's only been a little over a day since the whole ordeal with the director, Yami was a bit low on energy still. Not only did he use his powers to allow quicker healing for his host's and Jounouchi's wounds, he also blew up the security cameras in the parking lot, blanked out the memories of anyone who saw him on the TV station's grounds, messed with the director's vision, made several illusions, and then having to make his way home on foot. This wasn't like what he did with that first kid or Ushio, the ghost was spent. It's been too long since he's used magic like this, he didn't really know why he used it, but he was sure in whatever life he lived before, this was a daily thing, so he was use to the magic.  
  
Now? It was whenever he needed to help Yugi, becoming a shadow and speaking to him required little to no energy, but controlling his host and the events after that? Yeah, he was gonna sleep for hours after all of that shit.  
  
Yugi sighed, watching the other student adjust his music, saying something about how this was a good song, he wanted to listen to it real quick. Good, this gave Yugi a chance to talk to Yami.  
  
“Don't you remember? This is Souzouji, from class C.” Yugi quietly said, looking down at his shadow that faced him now. “Then again, I think you were in the puzzle the times I've gotten stuck with this guy in the past few months. Anyway, I can't tell him to turn his music down, the last time someone did that, they got a nasty nosebleed. But yeah, this guy holds a solo karaoke performance once a month, I've gotten suckered into these stupid things twice now, due to threats. And he sings until dawn with his 'magnificent' voice.”  
  
He rolled his eyes before continuing. “A lot of guys have been dragged into these events as well, you have to pay for it by the way, and then you get locked in until morning. I'd rather face Ushio beating me up again then deal with Souzouji's singing voice for hours.”  
  
Suddenly Souzouji shoved something into Yugi's face, catching him off guard. The other man grinned, informing Yugi that he would have to sell ten of these 2000 yen tickets he just handed him. And he wanted there to be a 4:6 ratio on guys and girls.  
  
The boy was unnerved, why the hell did he have to do this!? He didn't even want to go to the show (though he knew he probably was going to get stuck going, uhg), why did he want Yugi to sell these, he was sure that Souzouji could just scare people into going, like he normally did.  
  
“The party is in three days... but that's alright, because if you don't do it...” The bigger student cracked his knuckles, “then I'll have to teach you a lesson.”  
  
…  
  
_As I got to school, I thought another day will be a fun day..._  
  
–

“Morning, Yug'!”  
  
Yugi blinked, looking up from his desk to see Jounouchi smiling bright at him. As Yugi greeted his friend, Jounouchi noticed that something seemed a bit off with the smaller boy.  
  
“What's got you down, Yugi?” He asked, frowning.  
  
“Nothing, Jounouchi.” Yugi smiled, trying to cover up how he really was feeling about this morning.  
  
“Hey, Yugi, I've been doing some investigating,” The blond started, “and I've come to the conclusion that there is no idol in this place.” He pouted a little, upset that his little plans to meet someone famous were ruined for him.  
  
Yugi mad a face at this, it's only been a day since they were tricked, and Jounouchi was still trying to look for the idol?!  
  
Oh man, he honestly thought Jounouchi knew better by now. Yami, however, rolled his eyes as he overheard these two speak from where he sat by the main door in his soul room. He knew from the very beginning that this whole stupid start thing was just a cheap trick. Though, at the time, he didn't know what was gonna happen.  
  
He couldn't help but smirk when he remembered watching that awful television director run around in the parking garage, screaming in fear as he ran into objects. Gods above, if he had a camera, he would watch that over and over again just for the hell of it. And maybe give the tape to Jounouchi so he could get his kicks out of it as well.  
  
Speaking of tapes, Yugi never did get around to watching that tape that Jounouchi gave him the other day, the spirit wondered in Yugi was ever gonna watch it, he doubted it. Sorry Jounouchi, your tape will never get watched. Well... not by Yugi, Grandpa however... unknown to Yugi, the old man found the tape, and Yami is wondering if Yugi even noticed it was missing.  
  
But that's not any of his business.  
  
Yugi shook his head as he heard Jounouchi proclaim that he himself would be Domino High's first ever star! But when Jounouchi noticed his friend wasn't really paying attention, and that he looked a bit upset. “Yugi!” He yelled, startling the boy. “Tell me, is something wrong? What are you worrying about, you can tell me! I'll help you in any way I can!”

Seeing Jounouchi act like that cheered Yugi up a bit, but he was still worried. He couldn't ask Jounouchi or Honda to go, because they would only lead to them wanting to fight Souzouji, and he knew that the larger man could do a repeat of what Ushio had done a while ago.  
  
He watched as his friends set out to perform their new plan, Operation: Panty Tank, in which they use a ruler to flip Anzu's skirt. This resulted in her sucker punching the blond right in the face, and then Honda got a really hard kick from her.  
  
This got Yugi even more worked up, he couldn't allow for Anzu or Miho to deal with that awful voice either. It would probably hurt them, and he couldn't let that happen. He didn't think there was a chance in hell that he'd ever forgive himself if he put any of his friends through that horrible mess.  
  
And even his other half... he didn't want Yami to deal with the music either, he didn't like the way that the shadow was bothered and annoyed by the music earlier on the bus. Hmm... Yami seemed rather off today, seems like he did this before, when Yugi put the puzzle piece back in. He didn't want to think that the performance might make Yami even more off.  
  
'I can't put my friends through that torture...' Yugi thought, but he remembered the threat from earlier, and it make the knots in his stomach twist and turn even more. He felt Yami's worry and concern from inside of himself and he tried to reassure him, but the spirit saw through it.  
  
He might have to deal with this problem after all...

–

Eventually the time came to go home, and Yugi was unable to sell one ticket due to fear.  
  
As he put his outside shoes on, he felt that someone was watching him, but it was only his other self. The spirit was much more awake right now, and seemed to be keeping a close eye on Yugi.  
  
“Yami, are you okay?” He quietly asked, catching his shadow off guard, watching it actually jolt.  
  
_Huh? Oh, sorry, Yugi. I'm okay, just getting out of the puzzle a bit today, if that's okay._  
  
There was a feeling of reassurance from the shadow in Yugi and he felt a bit better, until he remembered the tickets he had. He spotted Hanasaki in the locker area, getting ready to leave with the rest of the students in there. Yugi was about to pull a ticket from his pocket, but stopped himself.  
  
'Damn, what am I thinking?! I can't ask Hanasaki! Even if he isn't one of my friends... I've barely spoken to him! I'm such an idiot!'  
  
Yugi smacked himself on the forehead, mumbling about how stupid he was being at the moment, ignoring the disapproving feeling he got from Yami.  
  
_Yugi, you're not stupid, you didn't mean to think that. The tickets will get sold, there are other people to ask, it's fine._

“I know...” Yugi sighed softly to himself, starting to make his way to the door, giving the other quiet boy a small wave. “Goodbye, Hanasaki.” He nervously smiled at him.

“Umm...” Hanasaki spoke up quietly, even more nervous than Yugi. “Yugi... I meant to ask you this... but c-could you buy this ticket from me...?” He asked, holding up a ticket that Yugi already had ten copies of in his pocket!  
  
“Do you know Souzouji from class C?” He continued. “This is a ticket to his live show...”  
  
“Oh... is that so?”  
  
Yugi had not prepared himself for this, he was freaking out in both his mind and out in the real world, though not as much with the latter. Shit, he couldn't buy that ticket, he had too many of his own! He could hear soft chuckles coming from his shadow, damnit Yami, you're not helping!  
  
“So help me out by buying one... I have five tickets he gave me and I can't sell any of them...”  
  
'What?! He has less then me...!' “Are you going, Hanasaki? You don't seem very excited about it...”  
  
“That's because I can't sell these things, and I really don't want to go...”  
  
'I knew it!' Yugi screamed in his head, damnit, this guy was in the same boat as him.  
  
Yugi sighed, reaching into his pocket, explaining that he didn't have the money to help the boy out. But... rather, he could take the tickets and help Hanasaki sell them! All the while, Yugi was mentally slapping himself as he made this agreement with his classmate. Yami... didn't know what to think of this, well, Yugi was being a really nice friend, but...  
  
Hanasaki happily accepted this and gave the tickets over to Yugi. The other boy smiled, putting them into into his pocket before leaving the school, he kept thinking about what he had just done, hoping he made the right choice.  
  
“This way... only one person will have a bad time!” He said, trying to reassure himself. “Now I have fifteen tickets in my pocket... fifteen! Ten! Same difference!” He purposely ignored his ghostly friend's laughter.  
  
But Yugi was unaware of the dangers he started with that one act of kindness to Hanasaki, and he would know about it in a few days time.  
  
–

_And so the fifteen tickets stayed in my pocket, until the night of the solo live show..._

Souzouji glared deeply behind the shades he wore as he looked at the only other person in the whole room with him. Yugi sat there, very uncomfortable and very scared, shaking a few bells he held in his hands as the man dressed in a bad Elvis suit growled in anger at the smaller boy.  
  
“Yugi... what the hell is this...”  
  
Yugi just rang the bells, looking at the ground rather than up as Souzouji. Suddenly Yugi was picked up by the collar of his shirt, looking at the other man. “You didn't sell one ticket?!”  
  
“I'm sorry, Souzouji! But everyone was busy...! But I'll stay and listen to you sing!” He coward under the glare of the diva.  
  
“You're damn right you are!” He threw Yugi down onto the couch, throwing a set of headphones at him. “Tonight's show is going to be a live blood bath!” He turned up the volume of the headphones before he began to sing.  
  
The music and Souzouji's singing voice pounded loudly from the headphones and straight into Yugi's head! His whole head was hurting, he swore his eardrums were going to burst at any moment. 'This voice...! It isn't human..!' Yugi thought, knowing he was in deep shit if he even dared to remove the headphones.  
  
Yami was rudely awaken by the sounds and his savior's distress. Should he step in, what the hell was this man doing to his other half!? How dare he!  
  
“WHOO! I'm getting numb!” Souzouji yelled as the song ended, walking over to a curtain behind the stage. “Now, before my next number, I'm going to show tonight's special guest.” He pulled back the curtain and there, in a hurt heap on the floor, was Hanasaki! He was badly injured!  
  
Yugi snapped out of his daze from the horrible music when he saw his hurt classmate. He stood up, rushing over to him. “Hanasaki!” He screamed, ignoring the taunts that Souzouji was saying, that this was all Yugi's fault for taking those five tickets. “Hanasaki, I'm so sorry! I made things worse!”

Damnit, he knew this was a bad idea... this is all his fault!  
  
The injured boy opened his eyes, weakly smiling at Yugi. “It's not your fault... I shouldn't have asked you about the ticket... you were just trying to help me. This is just my punishment for trying to sell you a ticket...” He trailed off, passing out in Yugi's hold.  
  
Yugi glared deeply and growled, feeling anger and the need for revenge course through him. His eyes widened as the color shifted from orchid to crimson, the puzzle glowing brightly.  
  
“How dare you... how dare you make my friend suffer like this... _I won't allow it..._ ”  
  
The puzzle flashed in a blaze of gold, and he turned, glaring deeply at Souzouji with hatred and disgust.  
  
_“Souzouji! You will not be forgiven!”_ 'Yugi' barked at the man as he tore the headphones off of his head and out of the speaker.  
  
Souzouji was a bit taken back by the sudden change in the smaller boy, and how the whole room felt... off. “What's with your eyes... you want to pick a fight?” He laughed nervously, and that single sound made 'Yugi' smirk.  
  
“Hehehe, Souzouji! I have a question for you! Are you a coward?!” The sudden air of confidence left the singer speechless, and 'Yugi' seemed to take that as an answer, but he still wished to make him uncomfortable

“Well?” He asked in a playful manner. “Because if you're not, then you won't back out from playing a little game with me!”

This was very much not Yugi, who... who was this kid?  
  
“A game?!”  
  
“It's a game...” 'Yugi' replied, “I call it... the Shut Up Game!”  
  
That evil, yet playful, smirk graced 'Yugi's' lips as he looked at Souzouji, watching him squirm. He turned away, stating that before they start the little game, he would need to get the proper tool. Sure, he could create them with his powers, but he didn't want to spend much energy like he had before. He'll need to save them for helping Hanasaki and the Penalty Game.  
  
He glanced around the room, spotting the two objects he needed. Setting them down on the table in the room, 'Yugi' explained that they were called Sound Pierrots, which were a game that they sold at the game shop, and that they did a dance when they detected sounds.  
  
“The rules of the game are simple: after the game starts, we must not make a single sound! Before we start, we each place a Pierrot in front of us so that it will tell who wins and who loses. The first one to make a sound loses.”  
  
“What happens if you lose, Yugi?”  
  
The wicked grin grew at this question. “I'll give you my life. But if you lose, then you will play a Penalty Game.”  
  
“Interesting.”  
  
**GAME START!  
**  
Both men sat in the karaoke room in complete silence, neither bothering to move in case they made a small sound.  
  
'Yugi' seemed to be keeping his cool as he sat there, but Souzouji wasn't doing so well. Ironically, 'Yugi' just had an excellent poker face, he was nervous about the game. He didn't know who would break first, this wasn't a Shadow Game, at least not yet... the shadows could make a noise, they were pesky little things, he couldn't risk it.  
  
Souzouji was uncomfortable, this game wasn't something he liked. The whole room was not suppose to be silent like this, it was suppose to be filled with his voice, ringing off the walls. When he got out of this stupid game, he was going to make Yugi suffer. His 'Hundred Melodies of Death' sounded like a good idea, played throughout the whole night, Yugi wouldn't stand a chance.  
  
As he looked at the boy sitting across from him, he noticed something. On the table was a glass of water, resting on the rim of the glass was the jack from the headphones that 'Yugi' had yanked out of the speaker, said headphones were resting around his neck. He smirked. 'When Yugi pulled the jack out, he didn't notice where it landed! When it finally falls in and makes a sound, I'll win!'  
  
He squeezed his mic tightly in anticipation.  
  
Thump thump

Souzouji kept his eyes on that little jack while 'Yugi' kept his eyes forward, seeming to be lost in his own little world. He was actually focused on the speakers, waiting...  
  
Thump thump

The taller man was getting impatient, the damn jack had yet to fall! The idea that he would win by this little thing was causing his heart to beat faster and louder in anticipation for his victory.

Wait, louder?  
  
Thump thump!  
  
Suddenly, a Sound Pierrot began to dance, and it was the one right in front of the singer!  
  
He stood up in shock, looking at it. How was it dancing when there was no noise to activate the strange toy! He turned his attention from it at the dark chuckle coming from 'Yugi' as the air became heavy and cold.

And what was that weird sound he heard?  
  
“That is the sound of your heart.” 'Yugi' spoke, pointing at the speaker next to his opponent.  
  
“Why is it beating through the speakers?!” Souzouji yelled, before realizing that he held his mic tightly in his hands, and the volume was at full max. His tight grip meant that the mic picked up his pulse from his hand!  
  
Souzouji turned to look at 'Yugi', whose face turned that of pure hatred as he glared deeply. “Even in the midst of trouble, you didn't lay down your mic... a habit that has brought you disaster! You lose, Souzouji!”

Thump thump!

'Yugi' stood right up, pointing at the taller man, his puzzle glowing as a third eye appeared on his head.

 **Thump thump!**  
  
_“The Door of Darkness has opened... Penalty Game! Beat Festival!”_

 **THUMP THUMP!**  
  
The light from 'Yugi's' attack hit Souzouji, and in a moment's flash, all he could hear was his heart beat, getting louder and louder with each beat. The sound banged in his head loudly, tormenting him greatly. 'Yugi' did nothing to ease his pain as the man begged for it to stop.  
  
He just looked at him in disgust, as if he was a lowly insect. He scoffed, the spell would wear off when this fool learned his lesson.  
  
Turning towards the stage, 'Yugi' approached Hanasaki, finding him still passed out. He conjured up some of his shadow magic, moving it over the boy, using it to help heal him over the next few days. 'Yugi' sighed, moving to help him up off the floor. He glanced back at the screaming singer on the floor, smirking at him.  
  
“Rock music has eight beats. When the music's beats are increased, so are the heart beats of the human listening to the music. The music's rhythm is the same as the beat of the human heart. I guess now you truly are a 'human karaoke'.”  
  
**GAME OVER**  
  
–

The next morning at school, Yugi got on his bus to school, finding it to be very much less crowded today. He yawned, not feeling as tired as he had a few days ago, but still was a bit sleepy. He stayed up last night with Yami, asking about what happened. The spirit replied that someone came in and stopped Souzouji from bringing either of them harm, and that he didn't know why Yugi passed out, must have been from that terrible music.  
  
Yugi let that excuse slide, still curious about his other half. He distracted his thoughts by listening to actual good music, something he and the spirit could enjoy.  
  
As he moved to find a seat, he spotted Hanasaki who smiled at him, motioning for him to sit down with him. “Good morning, Yugi.”  
  
“Good morning, Hanasaki. How are you feeling?” He asked, noticing that the other was patched up.  
  
“A lot better, actually. I wish I knew what happened, but I woke up at home, my mom telling me someone took me home. He didn't leave his name, but he left a note.” He pulled something from his pocket, handing a note to Yugi.  
  
_Hanasaki, I'm sorry you had to deal with that mess, but I took care of everything. I wish you a safe recovery, you will never have to deal with Souzouji or his music like that again._  
  
Yugi blinked, shocked to see that it was that person's handwriting again.

Who... was this person?  
  
TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yami leaving notes is funny to me for some reason. Okay, finally done with this one! Great, good, now time to get started on the big chapter, the infamous one that even people who don't read/watch this series have heard of.
> 
> Here's a bonus, I'm also throwing in the season zero episode with the watch collector for even more crazy, infamous Shadow Games.
> 
> Next chapter: A new watch is causing problems for Honda, Miho, and Yugi, and Yami Yugi is the only one to fix this mess. Meanwhile, a dangerous criminal has escaped prison and he thinks he's the luckiest bastard alive. And where is Anzu going, and why does she not want Yugi and Jounouchi to go to that new burger place that just opened up? And will Yami Yugi be able to protect his friends when he has barely any energy, he might have to take desperate measures for this game...
> 
> As always, please comment! I would love to hear some feedback!


	6. Rare Watch/ Jailbreak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will probably hate myself when I finish this chapter because I'm writing two Shadow Games in one chapter while I have carpel tunnel.
> 
> Oh well, I've done way worse.
> 
> So yes, this chapter includes both the season zero episode with the watch, Theft! Rare Watch Battle!, and the fourth chapter of the manga, Jailbreak. These are two of the most infamous Shadow Games in the series, considering that Yami Yugi is rather sadistic with the events.
> 
> If you haven't read/seen these games, fair warning, there is mild body horror and straight up murder.
> 
> On with the fic!

“I'm off!” Yugi called out to his grandpa as he headed for the door, a piece of toast in his mouth.  
  
“Hey, Yugi!” Grandpa stated, making his grandson stop and turn to look at him.  
  
“What, Grandpa?” He asked around the food in his mouth.  
  
Grandpa huffed as he walked into the shop. “What do you mean, 'what, Grandpa'? If you're going out, finish eating first! It's bad for the digestive system.”  
  
Yugi pouted, rolling his eyes. “But I'm late, it'll inconvenience everyone, later!” He replied as he walked out the door, heading towards the location everyone would be meeting at.  
  
Once Yugi was in the downtown area, he heard Yami yawn in his head. “Oh, are you tired, Other Me?” He asked, quietly speaking as he walked down the street.  
  
His shadow moved under him, trying to match his steps and arm swings, but he was a bit sluggish. _What? Oh, yeah, just a little. I suppose I slept in this morning, normally I'm awake when you are, or at least when you get up._  
  
Yugi laughed a little at this. “How are you tired, all you do it hang out in the puzzle!” He laughed a bit more loudly, earning some strange looks from people that passed him by. Yami huffed at the laughing, sure he hung out in the puzzle most of the time, but when trouble came up, he'd take over and use his powers, which, at the moment, would drain.  
  
Though not today, he just stayed up late watching Yugi sleep, lost in thought about the recent games he's played. He didn't like the trouble that his host was accidentally getting stuck in, hopefully things will ease up for him.

If this was because of him, the spirit doubted he'd ever forgive himself for causing Yugi so much trouble...  
  
As Yugi walked down the street, his shadow moving alongside him, the boy noticed a bunch of people standing around an alley. How strange, they were all in a line, were they waiting for something?

“What's going on?” Yugi asked the last person in line, who responded that the line was for the D Shock Premium collection, a series of watches that were extremely rare and valuable. The line was for the limited sale that they were hosting in the shop that was located in the alley.  
  
Yugi blinked, looking at the line, before recognizing someone standing among the people waiting. It was Honda! And... for some reason he looked really uncomfortable? As Honda squirmed, he didn't notice that Yugi had approached him until the smaller boy was next to him.  
  
“So, you like this kind of thing too, Honda?” Yugi asked, smiling brightly. “Seems kind of out of character...”  
  
“Well, I suppose...” Honda laughed nervously, before leaning down to Yugi's level. “Yugi, I have a favor to ask...”  
  
Yugi raised an eyebrow, blinking.  
  
–

So now Yugi was stuck standing in line, taking Honda's place, who had ran off to use the bathroom. Turns out Honda wasn't in the line for himself, but rather for Miho. He thought that him doing this for her would make her pay more attention to him. Apparently this was hilarious to Yugi's other self, as he could hear the man snickering behind him when Honda explained himself.

“Honda... he sure is late...” Yugi sighed, the line was moving and it was his turn very soon.  
  
After a few moments, the boy was finally up at the counter. The man behind it was smiling as he handed the watch over to him. “You sure are lucky.” He then called out at everyone else in line. “Everyone standing in line behind! I deeply apologize! This item, D Shock Premium Collection, is all sold out!”  
  
Yugi blushed nervously, hearing the other people in line complaining, feeling a bit guilty for being the last one to get a watch, but at least Miho and Honda will be happy. “So this is the last one? That sure was close!” Yugi spoke as he handed the money Honda gave him over to the cashier.  
  
Yami watched Yugi make the purchase, tensing up when a stranger approached the counter, just as Yugi moved to take the watch after his transaction. Yugi blinked, looking up at the stranger who had stopped him. This man was staring at him from behind his shades, and he seemed very angry.  
  
“I will be taking that.” The man said.  
  
Yugi frowned, staring at this stranger. “What are you saying? This D Shock is...”  
  
“You do not deserve this item.”  
  
Both Yugi and the spirit were confused by that response, though Yami felt bad vibes coming from this stranger. The man suddenly pulled back the sleeves of his jacket, showing Yugi the many different watches he worn, lining his arms from wrist to elbow. He explained that they were Swiss Color Watches Special Variation and that they were a collection when you had all the watches.  
  
He then explained that no one else in the world has ever collected all ten watches. “Do you see? That's why this D Shock Premium Collection only has meaning in the hands of a rare watch collector like myself! An amateur like you who doesn't understand the meaning of rare watches... should not possess it!”  
  
“No...” Yugi spoke softly, before the man grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and help him up.  
  
“Unforgivable...! I will not forgive you..!”  
  
Suddenly, a hand reached out, gripping the stranger's shoulder. He turned to see that Honda was standing behind him, looking ready to strike him. “Who're you? You wanna get in my way?”  
  
“You may be a rare collector, or whatever, bu you gotta obey the rules.” Honda replied, glaring at him as the stranger let Yugi go.

Stepping back, Yugi watched the other two glare at one another. Yami stayed close to his vessel, ready to take over if things got sticky... but the cashier called the police, causing the collector to run off. Honda sighed, turning to Yugi with a smile. “Sorry I'm late, you okay, Yugi?”  
  
Yugi let out a small huff before smiling at Honda. He was fine, but the spirit sensed that this wouldn't be their last encounter with this man.  
  
–  
  
“Hey! Isn't it great!” Miho smiled brightly as she looked at the new watch she was wearing, all thanks to Honda and Yugi.  
  
Jounouchi gasped as he looked on in surprise. “It's the first time I've seen a real one!”  
  
“Honda, you really helped Miho by standing in Miho's place!” The bubbly girl grinned at Honda, who was blushing, a bit bashful.  
  
Anzu rolled her eyes. “Friends truly are worth having, right, Miho?”  
  
“Absolutely! I love you, Honda~!” Miho smiled once more as Jounouchi took this as an opportunity to mess with his friend.  
  
“She said she loves you, Honda! Aren't you glad you stood in line since early this morning?” He teased, seeing his friend blush even more.  
  
“Shut up!” Honda exclaimed. “As a beautification member, it is only the natural thing to do!” He then turned and waved his hand about. “Look at the world! People's hearts are dirtied... purifying those people's hearts is the true beautification member's job! In other words, a beautification member must have a pure heart and the greatest kindness!”

“Although that's kind of overdoing it.” Yugi added in.  
  
“How forceful.” Anzu said.  
  
“Hey Miho, can you let me see that?” Jounouchi asked, ignoring Honda.  
  
Miho blinked, looking at her new watch. “This D Shock?”  
  
Honda turned his attention to those two, glaring at Jounouchi. “Hey, Jounouchi, are you listening to me?!”  
  
“Just while we're here.” The blond smiled, completely ignoring Honda now. “I just want to do this once in my life.”  
  
“Okay!” Miho nodded, smiling at him as she began to take the watch off.  
  
“Wait a moment!” Honda exclaimed, saying he wanted to ro sham bo with Jounouchi over who got to wear the watch first. There was a small argument between them, but in the end, Honda got the chance to wear the watch first. After that, the group went into an arcade, deciding to play some of the games for a while. Though Honda was more distracted with the watch than the games, and Yami was on guard.

He sensed that something bad might happen, but he didn't say anything to Yugi nor let him sense his worry. He didn't want to ruin his host's fun today.  
  
After a while, Honda left to use the bathroom to wash his hands, but when he came out it seems that the D Shock, which he had placed in his pocket when he went in, went missing. Sadly, he did not notice this at all.  
  
“You're leaving already?” Anzu asked, looking over at Miho.  
  
Miho nodded, just as Honda returned. “Yeah, I have an early curfew.”  
  
“Really?” Honda blinked before reaching behind himself. “Then I'll return that...” He froze up on the spot, realizing that... the watch wasn't there!  
  
Honda began to freak out over this, trying to find the watch on his person, even going as far as to remove almost all of his clothing. He had lost the watch! He couldn't find it! Miho became furious, striking Honda in the face for having lost the watch. She turned and ran off, screaming about how much she hated Honda.  
  
And so... Honda ended up looking high and low all over the arcade for the watch with no luck. All he wanted to do was make his crush happy, but he had screwed up. His other friends decided to help look, even Yami did. Yugi would secretly have him look under machines where something could slip under them, but all Yami really found were lost coins and dust.

It looked like Honda might never find that watch again, but he wasn't going to stop looking until it was returned to Miho in one piece! As he crawled about on the floor, someone stepped on his hand, making him cry out in pain. Yugi and the spirit both saw that the man who had stepped on Honda's hand was the watch collector from earlier, smirking at Honda. “Oh, sorry, I thought that was a wash cloth.”  
  
“You bastard...” The brunet growled under his breath.

Jounouchi was quick to approach, grabbing the stranger by the collar of his hoodie. “What are you doing, punk?”  
  
“Stop it, Jounouchi.” Honda sighed softly as he stood up. “If you have time to play with that idiot, then please help me search for the watch instead.  
  
“What he said.” The collector grinned, shoving Jounouchi aside.  
  
Yugi frowned deeply, his own feelings of dread mixed with his other self's as he watched the creepy man walk away, know damn well that this man took the watch! But... “No good, Yami, I don't have any proof he took the watch...” Yugi mumbled, but before he could get a reply from his friend, an alarm went off.  
  
He saw that Honda had lifted a machine in the room and was getting yelled at by security. Anzu and Jounouchi rushed over to help their upset friend. He was so desperate to find that watch, and the fact that it was stolen by that asshole made Yami very angry.  
  
_Yugi, he has the watch... we need to get it back..._  
  
Yugi gave a curt nod, he was going to get that watch back, no matter what.  
  
Running over to the stairway that the collector went towards, Yugi went down the staircase as he saw the jerk going towards something down in the basement of the building. And that's when he saw it!

The watch was right in his hands!

“ _We were right!”_ Yugi and Yami said to one another at the same time before following him into the room the collector went into.

-

“Give it back! Give it back!”  
  
“This is mine!”  
  
“But that-!”  
  
Yugi was cut off by a sudden slap to the face. He had followed the collector into the room he went into, looks like it led to the air conditioning room for the building, and had tried to get the watch back, but... this man was stubborn and ready to fight.  
  
“See what you get?” The stranger glared. “This is mine!”  
  
The boy hissed, rubbing his face. “It's not...”  
  
“What? You mean it's mine!” He punched Yugi again, knocking him down to the floor. “Just obtaining a mystical item is the greatest high!” He then kicked the smaller boy in the gut, earning a pained groan from him.  
  
As the stranger walked away, the room suddenly turned dark, the air was heavy and icy, the kind one feels in their bones. Behind the collector Yugi rose, opening his eyes to reveal a burning crimson, full of anger, disgust, and just a hint of mischief. Just as the collector was about to open the door to leave, he realized it was locked.  
  
Then he heard a chuckle that echoed in his head, followed by a voice...  
  
_“So, it's game time...”_  
  
He turned around, seeing that the whole room looked like the inside of a clock, gears and turning parts everywhere he looked! And that boy... he was standing there, looking like he was ready to wreck his shit up three ways from Sunday.  
  
“You!” He yelled, charging towards the boy.  
  
“Hey, that's dangerous.” Suddenly, a giant pendulum came swinging down, right in front of them, stopping the watch collector in his tracks.  
  
“What the hell is this?!”  
  
“You're going to play a game with me.” 'Yugi' informed him. “However... it will be a Shadow Game.” He then pointed at the D Shock. “We will be wagering your stolen D Shock.”  
  
“Don't fuck with me, bastard!”  
  
Just then, out of the floor, appeared a small set of double doors. And when they opened, a mechanical bird popped out, reaching up to take the stolen watch away, going right back into the doors before they quickly shut. “My... my D Shock!” He cried out, trying to pry the doors open.  
  
'Yugi' hissed, every time this man claimed the watch was his, he wanted to hurt him. But that was not really the shadow's style. “But it's not really yours, is it?” The shadows will reveal the truth in due time. With a loud sigh of annoyance, 'Yugi' continued. “but if you win this game, I'll acknowledge that it's yours.”  
  
“Game you say?!”  
  
“Well? Do you accept?” 'Yugi' smirked at him.  
  
“I'll play any game you've got!”  
  
'Yugi' was amused, these idiots get so worked up, even before the games begin. Always seems like they will automatically lose when they react like this. “No need to be so angry.” He pointed to the doors on the floor. “The rules are simple. At the start of the game, that same pigeon from before will appear. The D Shock's stop watch will activate. The one who stops it closest to ten seconds wins.”  
  
“What, that's it?”  
  
“However, if you exceed ten seconds, the pendulum will pass by right next to the D Shock. You know what'll happen if you're too slow, right?” 'Yugi' taunted, though that was really a part of this game. “Whether you do this or not, is up to you.”  
  
“Don't mock me! Of course I'm in!”  
  
“Alright, so who'll start?”  
  
“I will!”  


“Understood, then... **Game Start!** ”  
  
The doors opened again and the metal bird popped up, only this time it held the watch as the timer on it began to count the seconds. After a moment of waiting, the collector reached out, hitting the stop button just as the pendulum came down, swinging past them.  
  
The watch's time was 9 seconds and 35 milliseconds.  
  
“How's that!”  
  
“You're good. Now, my turn.” 'Yugi' spoke in a quiet, calm tone as the bird vanished back into the floor. He started down at the doors, waiting. “Start.” The opened, the bird came out, the watch restarting at zero seconds. The collector smirked, hoping that this brat would be nervous as well, but he was shocked to see that the kid had his eyes closed!  
  
Just as the pendulum came down, 'Yugi' opened his eyes, reaching out and touching the button. The pendulum just missing his hand, lucky break.  
  
The time was 9 seconds, 95 milliseconds.  
  
“Looks like I win.” 'Yugi' said, after hearing the collector exclaim the numbers displayed on the screen of the watch. The collector wasn't having any of this, demanding that he get a second chance at this, the first one was a test! 'Yugi' raised an eyebrow, but smirked, deciding to humor him. “Test? I see, very well. Then...”  
  
“Wait.” The man stopped him. “This time, I'm doing it from that side!” 'Yugi' only shrugged, walking to the other side as the taller man passed by him.  
  
“Start.”  
  
The watch started again and the man kept a smirk on his face. 'I figured out his winning strategy. One side is more favorable. This side allows your hand to escape at the last moment. I thought it'd be harder with the upside down numbers, but the switch is the most important thing.'  
  
“Alright... now!” He reached out to hit the button, but suddenly... something felt off. The pendulum came down towards him and moved over his hand. He screamed loudly, dropping to his knees.  
  
“Too bad.” 'Yugi' spoke as he took the watch from the bird's mouth. “I suppose I'll be taking this back after all.” But a hand reached out to stop him.  
  
“Stop! There's no way I'm giving this up! Forget this game, the D Shock is mine!”  
  
The stranger looked up from the watch and stared at a horrifying sight before him, filling him with sheer terror. The air around the smaller boy was much more heavy, but active, he could see it moving and squirming around, like the darkness was alive with power.

'Yugi's' eyes were burning, swirling of purple and red, as he glared down at this human garbage before him. His forehead glowed brightly with a strange eye shape.  
  
_“How pathetic...”_  
  
“You...”  
_  
“The Door of Darkness... have been opened. Penalty Game! Tick Tock Soul!”_  
  
“What?” The man suddenly felt something odd with his injured hand. He looked at the large gash he had gotten, only to stare in horror at what was under his skin. It wasn't blood and muscles, it was machine parts, gears of a watch! They were moving, clicking, ticking! He pulled back the sleeves of his shirt, terrified to find that the ten watches he wore were now fused with his flesh, he... he could feel them moving inside of his skin!  
  
'Yugi' chuckled to himself, pocketing the watch as he walked towards the now unlocked exit.  
  
_“Let this be a warning to you, a collection is priceless to anyone who actually cherish what they truly earned. You just wanted to be the best, you don't deserve what you have, but I suppose you deserve to be a part of your own collect, the rarest of watches, one made of a mortal man...”_

**GAME OVER**

–  
  
He exited the room, closing the door behind him. He sighed, dropping to his knees, panting a bit. Damnit, that was pushing it way too hard... he used up too much magic for such a game, but he was just so mad, so consumed by his need to defend his host's friend's honor...  
  
He sat back against the door, rubbing at the spots where Yugi had been struck, moving to heal them up quickly. He decided to use what energy he had left to fix things up for his savior. The injuries healed, minus one to the back of the head.  
  
Getting up, 'Yugi' stumbled to the staircase and laid down on it, setting the watch down on the ground as he did so. He laid back, closing his eyes as he used his last bit of energy.  
  
–

Yugi groaned, feeling a faint, pounding pain in the back of his head.  
  
He sat up, looking around, wait... wasn't he just in... why was he on the stairs? Did he trip? Was it all a dream? He thought he had been in that room with that thief, but no, he's right here at the bottom of the steps. “Other Me...?”  
  
There wasn't much of a response from Yami, just a very exhausted feeling of reassurance, before he felt feelings of extreme exhaustion. Yugi didn't like that, but his attention was taken away from his other half by the watch near him. He happily picked it up and made his way upstairs to give to Honda. Honda happily cried when Yugi gave him the watch, forever thankful for his little friend.  
  
Anzu asked what had happened to Yugi, why he took so long, and Yugi said he had slipped down the stairs, knocking himself out. Though that didn't seem right, he really believed that he had gotten beaten up by that collector in that room, only to black out when he felt a strong urge for revenge.

Actually... now that he thought about it, his blackouts tended to occur whenever he felt things like that...  
  
But that is something he'll bother thinking about for another day, probably, he didn't know.  
  
–  
  
It's been three days since the incident at the arcade and Yami still felt exhausted, he had used way too much of his shadow magic so soon, such a gamble, and all because of a watch. But he knows he made Honda and Miho happy, and when his host's friends are happy, Yugi is happy. And that's all the spirit wants, is for Yugi to be happy with his life.  
  
But still, how can he protect him when he has barely any energy! It's slowly coming back, but Yami really needs to sleep more in order to get it to be restored faster, but he's too alert to fully rest. Doesn't help that his beloved savior keeps talking to him, but he's too polite to ask him to let him sleep...

Then there is also the news reports about a prison break that has the shadow gamer so wound up, no one knows where this known killer is and the city of Domino is basically on high alert.  
  
Yugi's teacher spoke about the missing killer during the earlier part of class, and the spirit kept this in mind. He hoped his energy would be renewed very soon, just in case something happens. But he doubted that they would run into the killer.  
  
Then again...  
  
“Ah! It's over, it's over!” Jounouchi cheered as he stood up from his desk, stretching, before turning to Yugi. “Hey Yugi, want to stop somewhere on the way home?” He grinned brightly, his little friend doing the same.  
  
“Let's go to that new restaurant, 'Burger World'! Their burgers are famous!” Yugi exclaimed in delight at the idea of eating his favorite food, though he blushed a bit when he heard his other half chuckling lightly.  
  
Anzu glanced over at Yugi and his friend, hearing them talking about going over to Burger World to get something to eat. She couldn't let them go there, it would be the worst possible thing right now..! “Umm... Yugi?” She asked with a nervous smile on her lips. “About that Burger World place...”  
  
“You want to come with us, Anzu?” He couldn't say no if she was gonna come with them!  
  
Anzu was suddenly in his face, startling him. She started to tell him that she would never eat at such a horrid place! And apparently on the day they opened, a bunch of people got really sick, so it was best to not go there! At least that's what she's been told. Yugi pouted, he had heard that the place was great, but he trusted Anzu's word... “Then I guess we'll go to the Calorie Burger in front of the station!” He smiled again. “Wanna come with?”  
  
“No can do.” Anzu replied, placing her backpack over her shoulder. “I've got stuff to do, and besides, the teacher said that there's a criminal on the loose, and everyone should head straight home!”  
  
The smile that had returned to Yugi's face was quickly replaced with a look of fright and worry. “That's true! The criminal the whole town's talking about!”  
  
Jounouchi laughed at his buddy's reaction. “What's the big deal? Why get all frightened, you a chicken?”  
  
“But he has a gun! A gun!”  
  
In all the commotion, Yugi and Jounouchi didn't see Anzu leave the classroom.  
  
–  
  
Jounouchi frowned, finally noticing that Anzu was gone. He turned to his smaller companion. “Yugi... lately, hasn't Anzu been acting strangely?”

Yugi blinked, but gave this some thought. “Now that you mention it, we haven't gone home together in a while...”  
  
A smirk formed on the blond's face. “Yugi, I have a hunch... I think that after school, Anzu has been going on a paid date!”  
  
Yugi looked at him confused, as did Yami. What did Jounouchi mean by that? So, as if sensing Yugi's confusion, he explained that it was a paid date that young women, usually high school girls, go on with much older men for extra money. Basically it's like a nicer, fancier form of prostitution.  
  
It would be a lie to say that Yugi liked this idea.  
  
“JOUNOUCHI! ANZU WOULDN'T DO THAT KINDA STUFF!”  
  
Jounouchi laughed at Yugi's reaction as they walked out of the classroom, teasing the boy about his blushing face as they went off to see what Anzu was up to.  
  
–

“We shall carry out Operation 'Follow Anzu'! Oh, she's headed for the business district!”  
  
'I have a bad feeling about this...'  
  
_This is going to be fun._

“Other me...!”  
  
_What?!_  
  
“Yugi, shush, she might hear us!”  
  
“I whispered, you're the on yelling...!”  
  
Anzu stopped, turning to look over her shoulder. She swore she just heard someone say the name 'Yugi'. When she didn't see anyone, she went back to walking, unaware of the two boys hiding behind a corner, nor of a shadow peeking out to watch her leave. Phew, they weren't caught!  
  
Yugi was freaking out, Yami was laughing, and Jounouchi was still being a huge asshole about this whole thing.  
  
“That was close! But this reporter will not flinch! I shall continue to report on the case of 'high school student Mazaki Anzu's forbidden after school activities'!” Jounouchi announced with total pride while Yugi groaned.  
  
“Jounouchi! This isn't a porno!”  
  
_To him, it might as well be!_  
  
“Oh my God, you're not helping...”

 _Never said I was._  
  
They soon went back to following Anzu, watching as she entered into a building. And not just any building, it was...  
  
“B... Burger World...?” Jounouchi raised an eyebrow as Yugi and his other half stared at it confused.  
  
After a moment, the two walked up to the doors, which opened and they were met with a cheerful Anzu in a Burger World uniform. “HELLOOO~ AND WELCOME! Two seats? I'll seat you in... just... a second...” She slipped back into the restaurant, Jounouchi and Yugi were just as surprised to see her as she was to see them.  
  
Inside, Anzu was freaking out, those two had found her! High school students are not allowed to have jobs, or they will be expelled, and worst of all... Jounouchi is known for being a blabber mouth!  
  
This is bad...  
  
–

Yugi and Jounouchi were now sitting in the restaurant, the former worried about how Anzu reacted to seeing them and taking them to their table. Jounouchi was snickering about all of this, Yami stayed quiet in the puzzle, listening in.  
  
“Jounouchi... maybe we shouldn't have come here... Anzu seemed really angry...”  
  
“Indeed,” Jounouchi said with a grin, “no wonder she didn't want us to go to Burger World. Yes, we've found out her secret!”  
  
The smaller of the two sighed, but his cheeks were pink as he thought about how cute Anzu was in that uniform. He sent feelings of apology to his other half when the other sent him feelings of 'please keep your fantasies to yourself, no offense'.  
  
A tray was loudly slammed onto the table, and the boys looked up to see a very pissed off, smiling Anzu standing by the table, in her hand was a bottle of ketchup. “Please have plenty of our famous ketchup...” She squirted it down on their burgers, spelling out 'tell and you die' in the red sauce.  
  
She turned on her heels with a huff, but Jounouchi spoke up. “Hey, Anzu, what's wrong?”  
  
“well, this is my part time job, I've been hiding it...” She turned to smile honestly at them. “After graduation, I'm going to America! And I'll need the money. I'll be studying dance in New York City, it's my dream! Don't laugh!”  
  
“We... we're not laughing! Right, Jounouchi?” Yugi hurriedly said.  
  
Jounouchi only smiled and winked. “Anzu, don't worry, we won't tell a soul. All it'll cost you is ten thousand burgers!” Why would he ever reveal such a thing to other people, he had his own reasons for doing work outside of school hours, though that's a secret for himself and only himself. He looked at the tray, pouting. “And these hamburgers have been ruined, take them away or I won't pay! This place is awful!”  
  
Anzu laughed. “Don't worry, those are on the house!”  
  
–  
  
Outside in the woods near the fast food joint, stood an exhausted figure, the escaped prisoner. 'Damnit... so thirsty... can't go on much longer... I need a smoke and I've love a glass of booze right about now!' He thought to himself.  
  
By a lucky stroke, he noticed Burger World, yes perfect! This will do!  
  
In the restaurant, Jounouchi and Yugi were eating, talking about how interesting it was for Anzu's dream to be dancing in New York, though Jounouchi thought she'd stick out like a sore thumb there. Yugi thought it was a nice dream, at least Anzu had a big goal in mind, all he really had was the silly dream of being a game maker, but... well... the future was always gonna change, who knew what he'd really do when high school ended.  
  
As they talked, he felt Yami become very alert in his mind, he sent the spirit feelings of question, what's wrong? He got back feelings of uncertainty and tension, that something wasn't right, something was wrong, be careful.  
  
Yugi felt a little worried, some strange things happened when his other self was like this, and they usually led to Yugi blacking out.  
  
By the entrance, Anzu went about her job to greet the customer who entered with a smile on her face. “Welcome~! One seat, or are you meeting someone?”  
  
“It's just me... but I'm lonely...” The man smirked, and Anzu felt the cold touch of fear run up her spine at the look in this man's eyes. In a quick second, the criminal had his hand over her mouth and a gun to her head. “Listen up!” He yelled at the patrons of the establishment. “Make any noise and this chick gets it!”  
  
Jounouchi and Yugi gasped, staring in shock at the scene at the entrance. The look of pure horror in Anzu's eyes made Yugi's heart ache, how dare this man use her as a hostage! He sensed Yami stirring inside of him, but he ignored it.  
  
The spirit wanted to take over now, but damnit... his energy... he'd wait, he'd wait for the moment to step in and punish this piece of garbage!  
  
“It's the escaped criminal!” A woman yelled, causing the diners and staff to panic, which only made the man even more angry. He moved more into the restaurant, still keeping Anzu as his hostage.  
  
“Heh... don't worry, I don't think I'll be staying long! I intend to eat, then get going! In the meantime, stay next to me and be quiet.” He addressed this last part to Anzu, who screamed under his hand. “Make another sound, and I'll kill you!”  
  
He noticed the ribbon on her head and an idea came to him. “I'll blindfold you with this ribbon!” He spoke, removing it from her hair so he could tie it around her head, blinding her. “When a human's eyesight is blocked, they become more frightened, while being muted has the opposite effect. After all... before executing a prisoner, do they mute or blindfold him?! Which reminds me, I'm on death row, next in line, ya know...” He begun to laugh at this.  
  
Yugi watched, feeling so helpless right now. This was bad, Anzu was in serious danger and there was nothing he could do to help! His head started to hurt, his vision blurred, no... not now! Not again, don't blackout..!  
  
“Anzu... Other Me, what should I do...” He said under his breath, not sure if the other could hear him.  
  
“Now then...” The criminal sat down at a table, with Anzu still next to him. “Bring me what I want! Who should do it...” He looked over at the crowd, and smirked, pointing his gun at the smallest person among them. “The weak looking shrimp!” Yugi gasped, realizing he had been picked.  
  
The prisoner ordered everyone else to get on the floor, and if they tried anything, then his victim would die. Jounouchi cursed under his breath as he got down on his knees. How could his fucker use Anzu as a hostage, and to then throw Yugi in on all of this?! He was gonna pay!  
  
“Bring me some booze! And some smokes! 'Lucky Stripe'! Bring me only that brand!” The man laughed, he felt like he only deserved lucky things, like himself.  
  
Carefully, Yugi walked over to the table, tray in hand with the items he had been told to get. He was scared, angry, and feeling ready to pass out again.

No... not until he knew Anzu was safe...  
  
Anzu blinked, realizing something. 'Wait a second... earlier... this man said 'that weak looking shrimp'... did he mean..? Oh no, Yugi!; She stood up from her seat, yelling in Yugi's direction. “Yugi, you picked Yugi?! Yugi! Get out of here before you get hurt!”  
  
“Shut the hell up!”  
  
A sharp slap to Anzu's face was what finally made Yami forget his limitations at the moment and Yugi stumbled, surrendering to the darkness.

 _'Choosing us was your biggest mistake!'_  
  
When he straightened himself, the boy's eyes were crimson and burning with the desire to bring harm. A smirk formed on his face as he slammed the tray down on the table, moving to sit across from the criminal in the booth. The air didn't feel cold or heavy, but there was a strong feeling of tension, of a storm brewing in the store.

“ _Heh... here's what you ordered!”_ He playfully spoke, knowing he had pissed this man off.  
  
“Why you... did I say you could sit down?!”  
  
“What...?” 'Yugi' drawled out. “I thought I'd keep you company, if you've got the guts. Let's play a game.” The smirk was wild on the boy's face, his eyes flashing with mischief and blood lust. He wasn't going to use magic this time, oh no, this man was going to fucking die. He said he was next on death row, right? Might as well help him out with that...  
  
The criminal seemed a bit startled, this wasn't the same kid he had picked out! What the hell is going on? “A... game?”  
  
Anzu was shocked by this strange new comer to the table. 'Is that... Yugi? No, they seem similar, but too different! It's impossible! This voice is confident, not shy like Yugi's!' She frowned deeply. 'I don't know who it is... but he's gotta be crazy to challenge a guy with a pistol to a game!'  
  
Placing an unlit cigarette into his mouth, the prisoner smirked. “Hm, a game, I need to have a little fun..”  
  
“However...” 'Yugi' started, grinning, “the loser of this game loses his life.”  
  
“Interesting... what are the rules?” The man thought that 'Yugi' was an idiot, all he had to do was pull the trigger and the kid was as good as dead.

Jounouchi, meanwhile, had no clue what was going on. He heard people talking, but he couldn't tell what was going on, due to his vision being blocked by a large man's ass. Damnit, he hoped Yugi was okay... and whoever was talking to the criminal had better keep his friends safe.  
  
Yami looked at the other, seeming amused. “You and I must stay on opposite sides of the table, but we can interact, with only one restriction: we each choose one of our ten fingers, and the finger we choose is the only one we may move. Which finger you may use is entirely up to you.”  
  
A smirk formed on his lips, a plan already forming in his head as he watched the criminal fill his glass with vodka. “So, which will you choose?”  
  
“Of course I choose my right index finger! All I need to kill you is this finger on the trigger!”  
  
“Okay, if that case,” He shrugged before holding up his hand, closing his fist, “I will choose my right thumb.”  
  
Anzu was startled by the gamer's choice. What was he going to do with his thumb when the prisoner could just blow him away in an instant!  
  
“And what will you do,” the prisoner raised an eyebrow as 'Yugi' spoke, “once the game has begun?”  
  
“I'll pull the trigger, of course!”  
  
“Of course...” He repeated, chuckling.  
  
“ **Game Start!** ”  
  
The prisoner laughed, pointing the gun at 'Yugi'. “Hahaha, and now, game over!”  
  
Click!  
  
The prisoner blinked, seeing 'Yugi' holding up the lighter, activating it, all while keeping that smirk on his face. “I forgot that I ordered a lighter, and it's been a while since I've had a smoke. As your last act, use that thumb to light my cigarette, after that I'll kill you!”  
  
Keeping his poker face, 'Yugi' reached over, lightly the cigarette between the man's lips. He kept the fire going on the lighter as he carefully placed it on the prisoner's hand, the one pouring vodka into an overflowing glass. _“Here's the lighter! Take it with you to Hell!”_  
  
The convict realized what 'Yugi' had done, trapping him! The liquid was pouring onto his lap now, and he couldn't move, lest he dropped the lighter.  
  
_“Don't fire that pistol either! The recoil will make the lighter fall as easily as you trying to move that left hand of yours. Plus... that's Russian vodka, 90 percent proof, you're a dead man.”_ 'Yugi' stated before getting up from the table, grabbing Anzu with him.  
  
The prisoner wheezed, too afraid to move. “But... but I'm lucky...” He nervously said, the lit cigarette falling from his lips and onto his wet lap.  
  
In a matter of seconds, the man was burning alive, unable to move as he screamed.  
  
**GAME OVER.**  
  
–  
  
'Yugi' pulled Anzu a safe distance away from the burning man, feeling so tired and weak. He still needed to recover, even avoiding using magic in a game was tiring, as he was still using his powers to be in control. “Fuck...” he hissed, stumbling, dropping to his knees, closing his eyes.  
  
Anzu removed her blindfold, looking around to find no one next to her but Yugi on his knees. “Oh! Yugi!” She got down, looking at him, only to see him turn to look at her with wide, orchid eyes. He looked so happy to see that she was okay as he hugged onto her tightly.  
  
She was confused, where did that man go? The one who saved her life, did Yugi see him? Whoever he was, Anzu felt like she may have met her dream man...  
_  
“Let's play a game.”_

She was about to ask Yugi if he had seen who saved them, but she watched the boy run over to Jounouchi, hugging onto him as well, hearing the blond say that the stupid criminal set himself on fire! What are the odds of that happening!?  
  
Yugi glanced over, seeing staff members trying to put the man out as the police entered. What the hell... when did that happen? When he was passed out?

'I wonder what happened, and how did Anzu and I get away from there?' Yugi thought to himself, though he felt a soft, tired feeling of reassurance from his other half, a feeling of 'don't worry about it right now'.  
  
'Other me... did you...' Yugi shook his head, no, there was no way that Yami did this.  
  
Right?  
  
–

Yugi couldn't sleep that night, he was restless after what happened this evening. Anzu had to be interviewed by the police, as did a few other people. They tried talking to him, but Yugi told them that he passed out from a dizzy spell, he didn't know who did it.

He sighed, rolling over in his bed, looking at the puzzle that laid next to him. He reached out, gently stroking it. He knew that Yami was inside, he had been quiet all night, sleeping hard apparently, from what Yugi could sense. Why was Yami so tired when he was so awake right now?  
  
As he pet the puzzle, he felt that something... was up about it, that maybe... there was a connection, with his recent blackouts? Did they have to do with the puzzle? He didn't know, he's had it for years, why were things happening now?  
  
He shook his head, closing his eyes. He needed to sleep, he had school tomorrow and he really didn't want to dwell on these thoughts anymore.

This was a problem for another day, he supposed.

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seventeen pages, holy shit. 
> 
> Most of this was occupied with the first part of the story, rather than the Burger World one, shockingly.
> 
> So anyway, this was interesting to write. I thought that the idea of Yami not playing a shadow game, and instead just straight up murdering a guy made more sense when he couldn't use his shadow magic. Don't worry, Yami will be in way better control of them very soon, about the time Shadi comes into the story.
> 
> Next chapter: A beautiful teacher with an ugly heart is causing problems for her students, but a shattered mirror will reveal the truth. A school festival is underway and Yami Yugi has to think on his feet when he decides to keep his magic to a limit. And lastly, a pair of shoes, are they really worth the pain?
> 
> Yes, three stories in one. They're not very long stories, and I really like the last two. If you've read the manga, the story with the teacher is the one were Miho is originally seen, then never seen again, but for this story, I have to use the episode based around it, where a girl has a crush on Jounouchi, though I will be adding my own changed to it, as I've been doing with these games.
> 
> As usual, please comment! I am always looking for feedback!


	7. For a Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did I decide that three stories in one chapter was a good idea?
> 
> I dunno, I really like these ones, especially the shadow game with the teacher. But I'm a bigger fan on the story with the shoes, just... it's a really nice chapter with Jounouchi and Yugi at the end (their friendship means the world to me). Also, the one with the ice hockey, okay, not only if this a really dumb, but creative game, but it actually shows of one of the very rare times in the first seven manga books where Yami Yugi is very uncomfortable with a game he's playing.
> 
> On with the fic!
> 
> EDIT: Apparently in the original manga, the events of the school fair take place during Yugi's second week of school, but it doesn't... really match up well with how my fanfic timeline is going. (oh my god, Yami, how many fucking games did you play in a week? Yugi? How many times did you and your friends get the shit beaten out of you in a week?! God damn you two!) So for this timeline to work correctly with my fanfic, this is the third week of school.

Another beautiful day of school it seems, the weather was nice, not a rainy cloud in the sky. Students chatted to one another as they arrived at the gates of Domino High, same with teachers, including the most lovely, or at least in her opinion, teacher in all of Domino.  
  
Ms. Chono was greeted by both students and staff as she walked to the gates of the school grounds, loving the praise she got. An ego boost was always good to get one through the day. Anzu and Miho made their way to the gates and the bubbly girl smiled, seeing their teacher. “Chono sensei is beautiful again today!”  
  
“Whether the sensei is pretty or not has nothing to do with us.” Anzu pointed out, stopping to see Ms. Chono approach two girls, ripping a key chain mascot off of one of the girl's school bags. When the teacher walked away, Anzu sighed softly, shrugging. “Plus, she's strict with rules.” A little too strict, if you asked her.  
  
“But that's what senseis have to do, right?”  
  
“Chono sensei is trying to make them even stricter,” Anzu spoke, “there's a rumor that she has been making a lot of proposals.”  
  
Miho gasped, surprised to hear this. As the girls talked, another girl approached them, looking rather nervous and shy. “Umm... Miho, Anzu!”  
  
The brunette turned, smiling a bit. “Good morning, Mayumi.” Miho asked what was wrong, seeing the look on Mayumi's face. The girl looked up, asking them if they could help her out with something.  
  
–

Yugi blinked, tilting his head a bit as he looked at the three girls. They had taken him out of class and into the hall, telling him that Mayumi was in love with Jounouchi and that they needed to know what it was that a guy like Jounouchi would love as a gift. Yugi gave this some thought, before grinning happily.  
  
“He probably would like lewd videos!” He got a very negative reaction from the girls about that idea, and of course, he heard laughter from the spirit. So Yugi was now forced to think of something else, something less dirty.  
  
_Maybe Jounouchi would like a game. He does love playing the ones at the arcade and at your grandpa's shop, Other Me._  
  
Yugi smiled, giving this a nod. “Jounouchi likes games! Maybe something from my family's shop?”  
  
“I see.” Anzu smiled, that was a good idea! And much less embarrassing than going to one of those dirty stores.  
  
“Let's look after school.” Miho spoke up, everyone agreed to this idea, along with Yugi. The small boy was going to keep this a secret, he was excited to see what game they could use to give as a gift to Jounouchi.  
  
Yami found this situation very confusing, he had never really heard of or played a game that helped someone fall in love. But considering he could make a game out of anything at the last second, he wasn't that surprised.

–

“I see.” Grandpa nodded, looking at the small group in his shop. “A present full of feelings for the opposite sex? It sure is nice to be young...”  
  
Mayumi turned to Anzu, asking if this was a good idea. Anzu informed her that it was okay to trust Yugi's grandfather, since he probably knew what would be best in this store, especially when it comes to Jounouchi.  
  
“I've got something good for that!” Sure enough, both he and Anzu were right. Grandpa turned around, reaching for a box on the shelf behind him. “Yugi, I've told you that this is how I got your grandmother.” Going through a dusty box, he pulled out a package. “Here it is! This is it!” He blew the dust off before opening the lid.  
  
Inside was a blank puzzle. The spirit looked at it from where he was on the wall, rather interested in the idea of this. He was quick to figure out why the puzzle was blank, and his assumptions were correct when Grandpa explained that you write your feelings on it, then break up the pieces. That way, the person who you give the gift to will learn of your feelings through a fun game.  
  
The spirit felt a bit jealous that this girl was going to use it.

If he had the chance... he'd use this as a note for the most important person in his life... but alas, there was nothing he could do. He'd have to rely on the notes he already left about.  
  
“That's lovely!” Mayumi cheered, deciding that this was the perfect gift for her to give to Jounouchi. She happily paid for it before turning to the group. “But what kind of message should I write?”  
  
Grandpa laughed a bit. “Tomorrow's Sunday, take your time to think about it.”  
  
–

On Monday, Yugi and the girls got to the classroom early. “Did you write it? Did you write it?” Miho asked in glee, wanting to know what the message says.  
  
Mayumi nodded, pulling out a nicely wrapped box from her school bag. “I did my best last night!”  
  
“So, what do we do?” Anzu asked.  
  
“Probably secretly leaving it in the desk is best.” Miho suggested.  
  
“But if the guy finds it, wouldn't he just start working on it in front of everyone?” Anzu frowned, knowing that Jounouchi would do something that stupid. He's played games Yugi's given him in class before. Speaking of Yugi, he made the suggestion of taking Jounouchi to the roof after he saw the package. Everyone agreed to this idea and the gift was placed in his deck just before class started.  
  
But Jounouchi had not arrived yet, and everyone involved with the plan was wondering what was up. Turns out, he was late getting there but he smiled in relief that he had gotten right to his seat, just before the final bell. Apparently he had stayed up late, watching some of his videos, though they were just fighting movies, not any of his lewd ones.  
  
The door opened and Ms. Chono made her way to her desk, a smile on her face. Though this was just a ruse, she was actually furious. She had been reminded of the events of yesterday, where she had met a man over a marriage proposal that she was denied. She had wanted to deny him, not the other way around! Luckily, her true emotions were covered up by her smiling, make up covered face.  
  
“Okay, open your textbook.” She said, still smiling at the class.  
  
A small laugh came from Jounouchi. “My textbook is in my desk year round...” But when he reached inside, he found something else. He pulled it out, surprised to find the gift. Damnit, he had it out in the open, the teacher was going to-  
  
Too late...

Ms. Chono snatched it right out of his hand. “Jounouchi, what are you doing with this in class?” At first, she thought it was his lunch box, but Jounouchi told her that he had never seen it before, and that he had found it in his desk. She took it with her to her desk, tearing the paper off of it, opening the box.  
  
She was surprised to find what was inside. “A jigsaw puzzle? That's no good, you shouldn't bring a plaything! Haven't I warned a few of that already?” She chuckled, Yugi winced, knowing that she had gotten on him a few times about his games. He felt tension again, from his spirit companion. Was something wrong? Well, aside from Mayumi's being embarrassed...  
  
The teacher began to put the pieces together. “You'd probably take it out, completely losing yourself in it. Truly averse to studying.” She blinked. “Oh! How interesting! When you put the pieces together, words come out!”  
  
She began to read the message out loud as she put the pieces together. “'Ever since I met you... I've always been preoccupied...' Oh no, is this a confession?” She then laughed, along with some of the other students in the class, while poor Mayumi looked so distraught. “That's no good. This would be a terrible distraction. In other words, against school rules. Perhaps leading to expulsion!” She hoped. “So, who owns this?”  
  
The class was quiet as the teacher looked at them, but Anzu stood up. “Stop it, sensei.” She then stated that the puzzle was a letter, and that it was cruel to read something private. Ms. Chono then asked if she had written it, but before Anzu could reply, Mayumi stood up.  
  
“I wrote it!” She yelped.  
  
“No, I placed it in the desk!” Miho stood up.  
  
“No, the puzzle came from my family's store!” Yugi spoke up, earning a few giggles from the class, and a raised eyebrow from Jounouchi. Under Yugi's desk, his shadow moved towards the teacher, going completely unseen by the other students in the room. The air became cold and heavy as Yugi felt very dizzy...  
  
Ms. Chono frowned, looking at all the students who were standing. All of them claimed to have done this, but only one of them wrote the message. This is the student that was going to be expelled, but the others could get punished as well.  
  
“Hmm... well,” Ms. Chono spoke up, “hmm, well, only one of you is telling the truth!”  
  
_“No,”_ 'Yugi' frowned, looking at her with narrowed, crimson eyes, _“we all are.”_  
  
“Well, the only way to know the who is responsible for this puzzle is to finish it!” She began to put the last few pieces in, grinning as she looked at the name. “I know it! It was...!” But she stopped, the room was suddenly dark, cold. She looked up, seeing everyone in the class room was frozen in place.  
  
Except for one student, the pendant around his neck glowing.  
  
'Yugi' looked up at her with a wild look in his eyes. What... what in the world was going on? Why was 'Yugi' looking like that at her, why was he giving off an intimidating air, and those accessories he suddenly had on his jacket sleeves needed to go! They were against school rules! _“So, it's game time, Chono sensei...”_  
  
“Game?” Ms. Chono blinked, confused by her student, and why the classroom was completely frozen like that. “What are you suddenly babbling about?”  
  
“Here's the deal.” He started, walking away from his desk, approaching hers. “If I win, you forget this whole little mess... and you give me that puzzle. Mayumi, Anzu, Miho, and my host aren't punished as well, you don't say anything to anyone.”  
  
“I don't have time to play with you.” She glared at her student as he stopped in front of the desk.  
  
“If I lose,” 'Yugi' continued, as if he didn't hear her, “I'll keep quiet about how you're actually a bitter, old woman, wearing way too much make up, who expels students on the smallest of charges just so you can feel powerful and in control. I also know that you set students up for expulsion.”  
  
How... how did Yugi know all of that?!  
  
'Yugi' tilted his head, staring at his teacher with those piercing eyes. “Oh, I guess I forgot to mention, but I can see the truths of people with my powers, and I know a bit about you, Chono sensei.” He lifted his hand, showing strange shadows moving about it, weaving between his fingers and moving in and out of his jacket sleeve. To be honest, he was just messing with her, some things he knew just from looking at her, others he was making up, but her reaction told him that he was right about everything. Lucky him.  
  
Ms. Chono swallowed a lump in her throat, but put on a smirking face. “Oh? A student that causes doubt to be casted on a teacher... I suppose I'll have to expel you when I win this game of yours.” She didn't like what she saw, was this really her meek, quiet student?  
  
Well, she's been looking for a good excuse to expel Yugi, considering that he looked like a future rule breaker.  
  
'Yugi' smirked, forming two glass mirrors from his hand that the shadows had been moving about on. “The game is a jigsaw puzzle.” He threw the mirrors into the air, both of them smashing on each side of the desk, their pieces never mixing.  
  
“The rules are simple, the one that puts it together first wins. However...” 'Yugi' held up two blindfolds, “we have to wear these.”  
  
“I see...”  
  
He gave her one before putting on his own, placing his hands carefully on the desk. “Now, let's get started.” Ms. Chono put hers on and moved a piece, but winced, almost cutting herself. A set of gloves were given to her and she put them on.  
  
**“Game Start.”**  
  
'Yugi' began to carefully move pieces with his gloved hands. “Be careful, this is a dangerous game.” He chuckled. “I forgot to mention this... the game stops when one of us finishes. And something will happen with the finished mirror.”  
  
Ms. Chono nodded. 'What's the deal with this game? Stupid kid. See, I can do this like this...' She removed the blindfold, looking at the mirror pieces. She looked up at 'Yugi', seeings his own still remained around his head. 'And you'd never know...'  
  
'Yugi' kept his eyes closed under the blindfold, not wanting to open them, since the shadows might want to make him cheat in this game. Something he could never do, he didn't like cheating in his games. He worked quietly and carefully, memorizing the pieces as he worked with them.  
  
“Sounds like it's going well for you.” Ms. Chono spoke as she looked at her puzzle.  
  
“I forgot to mention another thing,” 'Yugi' replied, “this is a Shadow Game.”  
  
“Shadow Game? What's that?”  
  
“Break the rules, and a terrible punishment awaits you.”  
  
“Oh really?” She didn't believe what he said, he was probably just trying to psych her out. “I suppose I just can't tell like this.”

It was silent for a bit before 'Yugi' asked her how she was going. “I'm already half done.” He added on, knowing that it was true.  
  
“No! I'm going to lose!” Ms. Chono replied, though she was faking it. 'It's a simple game done normally.' She lifted up the final piece. 'Now... I win.' And she placed it in, seeing her reflection in the broken glass.

“ _The Door of Darkness has opened.”  
_  
The teacher blinked, looking up at 'Yugi', seeing a glowing eye on his forehead. “Chono sensei, you use your position to hurt people.”

A few cracking sounds were heard, and Ms. Chono felt something on her face. 'Yugi' stood up straight, pointing at her, his voice filled with a calm rage. _“You... merely wear the mask of a teacher. Under that mask... you hide your ugly, true face!”_  
  
The light, dull, seemed to dance on his forehead and Ms. Chono blinked, hearing more cracking sounds, the weird feeling on her face was all over...  
  
_“Just as a mirror reflects, for the people you have hurt... feel what it is to be hurt yourself! Penalty Game! A Thousand Broken Masks!”_

There was a bright flash of light and the cracks, shaped like jigsaw pieces, on Ms. Chono's face suddenly broke, falling off her face to reveal what she really looked like. She looked at her reflection in the broken mirror, screaming at the old hag that stared back at her. “My make up! My face!” She then froze like the students in the class.  
  
'Yugi' sighed, moving his hand over her mirror, making it vanish, before removing his blindfold. He glanced down at his half finished mirror, seeing the face of his host staring back at him. He smiled gently at the boy in the broken mirror, before making it vanish back into the shadows.  
  
He took the puzzle that Mayumi had gotten for Jounouchi, putting the pieces back inside, breaking it up, before closing the lid of the box. He huffed, turning back to his desk, glancing at the frozen, standing girls, and then at Jounouchi.  
  
Snapping his fingers, the shadows that darkened the room suddenly fused back into his shadow, where they had slowly been released from. Time began once more as he closed his eyes, opening them up, orchid replacing crimson. Yugi blinked, shaking his head, did he blackout again?  
  
He looked up when he heard a scream, seeing Ms. Chono sobbing into her hands, running out of the classroom just a second later.  
  
“What... what just happened? One minute she was gonna say something, and the next she's flipping the fuck out.” Jounouchi spoke, glancing over at Yugi who only shrugged.  
  
**GAME OVER**  
  
–

The next day at school, Yugi and his small group of friends were talking about how Ms. Chono didn't speak of the puzzle after she returned, she even ordered everyone to forget about it. This ended up with her giving the puzzle to Yugi, he had noticed she looked very uncomfortable as she gave it to him. Yugi returned the puzzle to Mayumi after school though.  
  
Jounouchi asked about the puzzle, but Anzu said that the whole thing was just a joke to get back at him for all the pranks he had pulled on her in the past. He was left confused and Yugi told him to not worry about it. Turns out that Mayumi only had a small crush on him, and ended up giving the puzzle to another boy instead, it was for the best.  
  
Meanwhile, Ms. Chono found that any time she tried to be overly strict with students, or have rules become harsher, her make up cracked like a vase on her face, where people could see. Every time she tried to fix it, it seemed to only make things worse.  
  
–

That night, Yugi tried asking Yami about what happened in the classroom, this time, he got an answer instead of something vague.  
  
A very tired Yami appeared before him as his shadow. _She realized that no matter how much make up she put on, her ugly, true self was constantly showing. She finally realized the truth about herself when she finished that puzzle._

“But how?”  
  
_Her make up broke._

“How?”  
  
Yami went quiet, a sense of discomfort came from him. _I don't know how to tell you, can... Yugi, I really need to sleep, I don't want to pass out on you, I don't know what will happen._

Yugi frowned, but nodded. “Go to sleep.” He watched his shadow return to normal before he flopped back on his bed, stroking the puzzle. Damnit, when will Yami be honest to him, was the spirit scared of telling him what was going on? What did he have to hide?  
  
–  
  
It's now that time of the year for high school students, the school festival!

Many of the classes at Domino High were getting ready for a class theme to do for a booth at their festival and Anzu stood at the board, ready to write down ideas suggested to her, as she was the school festival officer Class B representative.  
  
Yugi smiled happily, this was his first high school festival and it was only a week away! He was so excited!

Someone suggested a haunted house, though Class C was going to do that. Another student said yakisoba, fried noodles. Jounouchi stood up, telling everyone that they should do a theme involving sex appeal! He called his idea 'the real high school girl cabaret'! Obviously, his idea was hated greatly by the female students in the class.

Hanasaki suggested gag manga, but quickly retracted his idea after the stares he got. A few more ideas were thrown out that Anzu wrote down, like takoyaki, which are octopus dumplings, pro wrestling, costume contest, things like that.

“Anyone who hasn't given an opinion?” Anzu asked, looking over at her friend. “Yugi, what about you?”  
  
Yugi blushed lightly, smiling softly. “I'd have to say games... carnival games! You know, like at an amusement park...” He felt a little embarrassed for his idea, but the class was super excited about the idea and it was agreed by everyone that they were going to do carnival games!

The small boy felt a burst of pride and happiness from his other half, making him feel good about his idea. Hey, even if everyone in the class didn't like the idea, at least he knew that Yami was on his side.  
  
In the end, the class decided on three games. With a budget of 50,000 yen, they would have bottle toss, a shooting gallery, with an air rifle provided by Honda that would shoot things off of a conveyor belt, and a large version of the game Bluebeard's Attack, a game where you used little fake daggers to launch a pirate out of a barrel.

And the best part of all, Anzu pulled the most popular spot out of the placement lottery for their booth!

There are only three days left until the festival, the preparations are in the final stretch!

Anzu approached their booth, seeing some of her classmates finishing with putting up the sign above the entrance for it. “It's fun to build something like this together...” She said to herself, smiling as she walked inside to where Yugi and Jounouchi were, wanting to see their progress on the Bluebeard game.  
  
“The Bluebeard mask is finished!” Yugi happily announced as he looked at the finished results of the handmade mask he had just finished painting.  
  
“Hey Yugi!” Jounouchi grinned, looking over at his best friend. “I'm almost done here too!” He was working on the barrel.  
  
“Wow! That's great! You're really good at building stuff, Jounouchi! I'm surprised!”  
  
“Everyone has at least one skill.” Anzu teased.  
  
Jounouchi chuckled a little. “I've been making plastic models and garage kits for a long time.” He had to admit, he actually did have a really good talent at building and repairing things. “Have a look!” He smiled, opening the top of the barrel before slipping inside.  
  
“What do you think! It's perfect!”  
  
Yugi laughed, approaching with the mask. “That's so cool!”  
  
The blond smirked, snickering a little. “I wonder who'll be the pirate, I'll get a good laugh at 'em!”  
  
“Why not you, Jounouchi?” Anzu suggested. “The size is perfect.”  
  
“Erk!?”  
  
“I... I made this mask to fit your head, Jounouchi...!” Yugi mumbled, holding up the mask.  
  
“What?!”  
  
“That's it! You're Bluebeard!” Anzu said, not noticing that a group of students had approached their booth.  
  
A large student, standing in front of his classmates, who held a large black slab, stared at the sign above the booth. This was school festival officer senior Class D Goro Inogashira. “What's this? Carnival games? How strange... there seems to be someone in your space!”  
  
Anzu noticed them, approaching the older students, being rudely asked what she and her class were doing. “Huh? We're getting ready for the school festival!”  
  
“Don't be ridiculous!” Goro screamed at her. “This school festival space is the stomping ground of senior Class D!”  
  
Yugi frowned, feeling uncomfortable as he heard all the commotion. “These guys look dangerous...”  
  
“What do you mean “stomping ground?!” We won this space in the lottery!” Anzu huffed, not backing down from this much larger man.  
  
“In the lottery?” Goro bust out laughing. “Listen up, underclassman! This is where we traditionally make okonomiyakio each year! Get rid of these rotten carnival games! Beat it!” It was shocking how riled up this man was about cabbage pancakes...

Jounouchi growled. “Who the hell are you?! You're the ones who're gonna beat it!” He was excited, always up for a chance to beat up another guy, however... he found himself stuck inside of the barrel, he couldn't get out! Nor was he able to dodge the punch he received to the face!  
  
Yugi gasped, yelling his friend's name. The older students charged their giant grill slap towards the carnival games booth, slamming into the wall with the heavy stone. Yugi watched in horror with his classmates at the games booth was rammed into again, one of the wall boards breaking.  
  
Goro laughed loudly. “Take that! Feel the power of our six inch thick, fifty serving grill! This spot it ours!  
  
“Our carnival games...!” Yugi yelled, running, moving to stop them, ignoring Yami calling out to him to stop!  
  
“Stop!” The small boy screamed. “Don't! We worked hard to build this!” His pleas were ignored by the upperclassmen, and they struck him with the grill, sending Yugi flying, landing on the ground, a strike to the head knocking him unconscious. Yami was furious, filled with a strong need for revenge against the leader of the men who DARED to do such a thing to Yugi, and to destroy all of the hard word Class C had put into their booth!  
  
But... in the end...

The space was dominated with a huge grill...  
  
–

Yugi woke up to a throbbing pain in his head and his chest, but he found himself to be in the school infirmary, with Anzu by his side.

She smiled softly, petting his hair. “Yugi, you're awake? I'm glad...”  
  
“Anzu!” Yugi gasped, remembering what happened before he was knocked out. “Where...?”  
  
“This is the school infirmary.”  
  
“What about the carnival games...?”  
  
She smiled, standing up. “Well... let's try again next year, Yugi!”  
  
He frowned, so they lost their spot? Oh no, this was terrible! “What? That's no good! We have to get that space back!”  
  
“That's right...” She turned, her back facing him. “We should get it back... it belongs to us...”  
  
The boy quietly watched his friend, seeing her raise a hand to her face, rubbing at her eye. Was... was she crying?

He felt dizzy, and he knew it wasn't from the head injury.  
  
A flash, orchid became crimson.  
  
“Haha...” Anzu sighed, putting on a smile. “Yugi, I'm so-” She paused, seeing the bed empty, the window next to it open. “Yugi?” Where did he go?  
  
–  
  
Goro glared down at the boy standing in front of him, he stood with this underclassman in the area where the school festival was happening. “So, you're the Yugi who called me out? You've got some guts! So, what did you want to say about the festival?”  
  
'Yugi' glared daggers at him, looking ready to kill. He cracked a smile at him, one that made Goro shiver. _“You have trespassed on the souls of all of my host's classmates, and you have brought great harm to him and to his dear friends. For that, you must play a game with me.”_  
  
“Huh... what are you babbling about? Hey, what a minute, you're that kid who was whining earlier... shouldn't you play your games with your mommy?” He chuckled, trying not to be intimidated by that nasty look he was being given.  
  
“If you have any guts, you'll play this game with me! This Shadow Game!”  
  
'Yugi' didn't want to use much magic on this game, so he was going to be playing a game like he did at Burger World. It was risky, something he didn't like, but his powers were still wonky, even that game with Ms. Chono last week made him very tired, like when he played the game with the watch collector.

He wasn't going to keep risky his and his host's energy with such big games.

Goro seemed confused by the boy's desire to play a game. “It's beneath me to play a game with a kid like you, but I've never backed down from a challenge, and I've always won! What kind of game are you talking about?”  
  
He watched the grin on 'Yugi's face get bigger as he turned, walking into the booth they were fighting over. Goro was surprised to find the grill was set up and burning hot as 'Yugi' walked to one side of it. “We'll play a game with this! The grill that you brought here! And it will be your downfall. I've already heated up the grill, the surface is hotter than 100 degrees Celsius.”  
  
He then picked up something, holding it up for Goro to see it. “Next, this block of ice! The test tube in the center is filled with explosives. If it touches the grill, one or both of us will be blown sky high. Then you can find out what okonomiyaki feels like... hehehehe...”  
  
He smirked. “I call it 'Griddle Ice Hockey'! We'll use these instead of rackets.” He held up two spatulas, the kind used for making such a dish.  
  
He placed the ice on the grill and it already put off steam. “The loser gives up the right to this space at the school festival! Any problems with that, Inogashira?”  
  
“I'll meet your challenge!”

“ **Game Start!”**  
  
Goro had the first move, and he struck the ice with a might blow, sending it hard towards 'Yugi', who tried to match his strike. But it wasn't easy.  
  
As the ice moved, it got smaller and smaller, the griddle was melting it faster than expected, this game wasn't going to last long. It's a moving time bomb!  
  
The older student smirked, if he kept up his power and speed, the puck will melt in 'Yugi's area, and he'll end up dealing with the explosion! 'Yugi' hissed, seeing how small the piece of ice was when it came back to him. 'That little piece of ice comes at me with the weight of a bolder!' He thought as he sent it back.  
  
“Look at that! It takes all you've got just to send the puck back!” Goro taunted. “My strength gives me the edge in this game! This is a piece of cake!” He sent the ice puck back and 'Yugi' hit it in return, but it almost knocked him to the ground. Each time he returned it, the recoil sends him flying! How was he going to win this game!?  
  
“BWAHAHAHAHA! Let's give it even more power!” Goro laughed, hitting it again.  
  
'Yugi' watched with wide eyes at it came back to him, but a flash, a thought... 'I must use my oppoonet's strength and speed against him! If this doesn't work, I'll lose!'  
  
He put his spatula on the grill, the edge striking the ice, not sending it back as quickly as his other strikes had done. Goro laughed once more. “I'm so tough, you can only push it back?! But that's no use!”  
  
He swung when the ice came to him. “I've saved the best for last! Power return!”  
  
As he hit the ice, he watched in shock as the ice split in half, the explosive vial released from it. “W-what?! He nicked it... put a crack in the ice..!”

“ _The Door of Darkness has opened...”_  
  
The vial dropped on the grill, exploding.  
  
'Yugi' huffed, shaking his head at the injured man on the ground. Well, at least he lived, but he's gonna deal with some nasty burns for a while. “As promised, we'll take this space back.” 'Yugi' commented, turning off the heat under the grill.  
  
_“Just remember this. Those who trespass in others' souls... will always get burned in the end.”_  
  
**GAME OVER  
**  
–

On the day of the school festival, with everyone pulling an all nighter, the carnival games booth was reborn just in time!

And so, the games booth was a big hit!

Yugi was not sure who had saved the booth for them, but a note found on Anzu's desk the next day at school after the fight over the spot told them that everything had been taken care of, and Goro willingly gave up the spot after an accident with the grill.  
  
The note was written in that mystery person's hand writing again, and Yugi wondered just how close this person was to them to always help.  
  
–

Yugi has no idea where Jounouchi was taking him and Honda, all he knew was that the blond seemed really excited over the little piece of paper he held in his hands. Yami trailed behind him, seeming a little cautious, mainly because they were in a skivvy part of Domino City, can't blame him for feeling uncomfortable, right?  
  
“Looks like we're close!” Jounouchi smiled, still looking at the paper.  
  
“Not the best part of town...” Yugi nervously said as they entered an alley.  
  
“It's alright. As long as you don't come during the bad times... though they say the owner of this store is pretty rough...” Jounouchi replied, ignoring a comment from Honda about how disgusting this alley was, someone needed to clean it up. They came to a stop at a store with a large sign over the door, it read 'The Junky Scorpion'.  
  
Jounouchi happily went inside, guess this was the spot. The others followed him into the building, finding that it was a shoe store, at least for sneakers it seems. Honda, Yugi, and even the spirit, jumped at the happy, loud noise that Jounouchi made.  
  
“Air Muscle! This is d-definitely it!” He cried out in sheer joy at a very nice looking pair of sneakers. He picked it up, actually drooling over the shoe, stating that he just _had_ to have it!”  
  
“What the... _this_ is what you were looking for?!” Honda complained at his ecstatic friend.

“But these days,” Yugi explained, “having high tech shoes gets you a lot of street cred.” He heard his other self chuckling at Jounouchi, though he stopped and shivered when someone approached them.  
  
“Hey, don't act like you own the place!” The man said. “That item is not for sale! It's very rare, and impossible to get elsewhere!” He pointed at the shoe in Jounouchi's hand.  
  
“Ah, you're the shop owner? You've got to sell me these shoes!” Jounouchi exclaimed. “I came a long way, on just a rumor!”  
  
The shop owner looked at him for a moment. “There are more people who want those sneakers than there are stars in the sky... but I don't sell to any punk who just walks in. In order to take these sneakers, you must meet the requirements!” He then pointed at Jounouchi, then at his own shoes as he talked. “Even if you're willing to spare no expense to get what you want, I wonder if you'd give your life. Even my own sneakers... in the United States, there was a murder over this very pair.”  
  
Jounouchi was not going to let this man intimidate him out of getting those shoes, he's been saving up for months! He had to keep this money hidden from his asshole father, he wasn't going to just up and leave cause of a stupid warning. “That's crazy, you're quite right, good show!” He said sarcastically. “Are you going to sell them to me or not?!”  
  
The owner chuckled, and offered a challenge. He informed them that the scorpion he wore around his neck was alive, with real venom in it. He then took one of the shoes, turning around, before turning back. He handed it to Jounouchi. He told him that the scorpion was inside and that if Jounouchi had the guts, he would stick his foot in there.  
  
Yugi frowned, thinking this over, there was a risk. Was the scorpion really in there or not? How would they know for sure? “Jounouchi, that game is no good! It's too risky!” He tried to reason, same with Honda, who offered his own shoes to his friend.  
  
The blond just looked at the sneaker that had been placed on the floor, he had wanted those shoes for so long... in his mind, he decided to throw all his fucks out the window and just go with the deal. “YAAAAAARGH! I'll show you who has balls for this game!” He yelled, shoving his foot into the shoe.  
  
…  
  
The shop owner clapped his hands, saying that Jounouchi had passed the test, and that the scorpion was never put into the shoe. “I'll see it to you! And even though I should charge you the original price of 100,000 yen, but I'll halve the price just for you!”  
  
Jounouchi cried out in sheer joy, this was his lucky day! Not only did he get the shoes, he got to pay for them half price! The owner let him purchase the shoes, but gave the boys a warning. There was a group of street punks running about, called Muscle Hunters, that would try and take those shoes by any means necessary.  
  
Yami kept this in mind, though he had a very strong feeling that this man knew more about those hunters then he was letting on...  
  
–

“Hehehehehehee... the Air Muscles are mine!” Jounouchi cheered as he literally skipped down the streets, stating that he threw out his old shoes.  
  
Honda sighed, seeing his friend looking so happy, like a child. “Risking his life for some shoes, it'll go down in history!” All Jounouchi did was say how great his shoes were and how happy he was about them. Yugi chuckled, he was happy for his friend, it's always nice to enjoy the little pleasures in life, even Yami seemed excited for Jounouchi.  
  
As they walked down the streets, wondering if they should get something to eat, they were suddenly ambushed by a group of punks, one of them throwing a tire around Jounouchi, preventing him from using his arms. Some of the group attacked him, then turning to Honda and Yugi, hitting and kicking them as well.  
  
It happened so quickly, moments passed before the group left with Jounouchi's new shoes in their possession, leaving the other three beaten on the ground.

Jounouchi groaned, sitting up, looking over at his friends. “Yugi, you alright?” He asked, getting a pained moan in response as the boy sat up, rubbing his face. The blond was furious as he got up, not only were his friends hurt, his shoes were stolen. “I didn't even get to wear them for 300 meters!”  
  
“Those must've been the Muscle Hunters...” Honda frowned.  
  
Jounouchi turned to look at the smallest of the group. “Yugi, that was bad... sorry you got dragged into this.”  
  
“No, it's okay...” Yugi shook his head. He had a feeling of guilt and shame overwhelm him for a second, his other self felt terrible for not warning Yugi ahead of time, even the spirit was caught off guard like that. He felt like shit, he was distracted, he should always be alert!  
  
“Yugi, can you head home alone?” Jounouchi asked.  
  
“Eh?! What about you two?!  
  
Honda and Jounouchi looked at one another before looking at him. “Well duh,” they said in unison, “we want revenge!”  
  
“I've decided I can't go home without those sneakers!” Jounouchi huffed, he was ready to fight for those damn Air Muscles, he spent so long trying to get those things! Yugi replied that he was going to join them, to which the other two were proud of his bravery.  
  
They ran towards an arcade, where they found the Muscle Hunters. It didn't take long for Jounouchi and Honda to approach them, and then start giving them a beating. One of them even got a broken nose from the man they stole from.  
  
Yugi and Yami watched all of this, a bit shocked, it wasn't every day they saw these two kicking ass so casually. Jounouchi demanded to know where his shoes were, turns out the Hunters were paid shit money to steal those shoes by the shop owner. This isn't the first time they've done this before.  
  
Yugi felt anger flare up in him. 'Unforgivable! They trampled on Jounouchi's dream of owning those shoes... and then violently stole his money!' He shut his eyes tightly, his body shaking with rage.  
  
_'I won't forgive him... I won't!'_  
  
Red eyes opened and in a moment, the small boy was gone.

–

“Hehehe... you made me some money, my little friends...” The shop owner smirked at the Air Muscles that the gang brought back. “When you say you have something rare, people will give you all the money they have!” He laughed, stopping when the door to the store opened. He glanced over, seeing that strange haired boy from earlier in the day.  
  
_“I see... so you use sneakers to steal money from others...”_ The boy growled, he looked ready to beat the shit out of the owner.  
  
“You... you little brat! Can't you read?! We're closed!” The shop owner yelled at 'Yugi', watching the boy approach him.  
  
“Return those sneakers to my friend! I know that you hired those Hunters to steal them back! That's robbery, I demand the shoes and my friend's money back!”  
  
The man looked at him, what if this kid revealed his secret to people! That would be very bad for his business! He'd have to bluff his way through this. He fiddled around, pretending that he didn't know that he had the sneakers, which were clearly in his hands. He turned away, secretly slipping in his scorpion into one of the shoes.  
  
He turned around, holding out the shoes. “Sorry, here... take them! Here...” The moment the kid would take them, he'd get a fatal dose of venom!  
  
'Yugi' reached out with his hand, hovering it over the mouth of the shoe, before opening his hand, dropping in ten coins. “What?!” The shop owner exclaimed. “What are you doing?!”  
  
The kid only smirked. “It's a game! Let's test your own qualifications! But this time, there really is a scorpion inside the sneaker! The rules are simple, there are ten coins in the shoe. Each of us gets to try pulling some out without getting stung. The one with the most coins wins!”  
  
The owner was surprised by the kid's bravery, but he smirked as well. “I'll accept your challenge, on one condition... each coin is worth 100,000 yen! That's how I do business!”  
  
'Yugi' only nodded, agreeing to the terms. He didn't care, he just wanted the shoes and Jounouchi's money back. He already had a feeling of who would win this game, simply because the concept of greed being added to his games has already left him two to zero.  
  
**“Game Start!”**  
  
The older of the two swallowed, the mouth of the sneaker looked like that of the mouth of a shark... he set the shoe on the counter, watching 'Yugi' start by carefully putting his hand into the sneaker's mouth. 'Yugi' stared hard at the shoe, using a bit of his power to see where the scorpion sat inside. It was down at the toes, it didn't look agitated or anything as he carefully picked up a coin.  
  
The owner took his turn, very nervous about this, but he managed to get a coin out. 'Yugi' dipped his fingers inside, getting another coin out. The shop owner watched him, hissing under his breath. 'Crap... if I win, I can get a ton of money from this kid... but doing it one coin at a time is much too slow! I need to snatch all the coins at once...'

“Say...” He spoke up, “before I take my turn, I have a question! In this game, you can do anything, as long as you reach into the sneaker and pull out some coins... right?”  
  
'Yugi' raised an eyebrow, smirking a little. “Yes.” It didn't slip past the boy that the man reached behind himself to get something. Well, looks like this game was very much in his favor. Three to zero.  
  
“In that case... I'll do it this way!” He had pulled out a knife and shoved it right into the area where the scorpion was. 'Yugi' blinked, well shit, this man just fucked himself over greatly. The shop owner shoved his hand into the shoe, grabbing a fistful of coins. “And now I've got all the coins! HAHA! I'm the winner! Hand over your money!”  
  
The boy just chuckled. “What makes you say that? You've taken a dangerous risk!”  
  
The man blinked, noticing he couldn't get his fist out of the shoe! “And I wonder...” 'Yugi' said, “is the scorpion really dead?”  
  
There was a skittering sound from inside of the shoe.  
  
_“The Door of Darkness has opened...”_  
  
It turns out that the scorpion didn't get hit at all, and was now charging towards the source that disrupted its sleep, which happened to be the owner's hand.  
  
'Yugi' closed his eyes, hearing the man scream in pain as he was stung, letting go of the coins as he fell backwards in horrible pain. _“In a Shadow Game, your heart's weakness is ultimately what causes you to lose! You have no love for your pet, nor for those precious sneakers, but only for money!”_ He turned, picking up the phone and dialed for an ambulance and the police.

The boy sighed as he hung up the phone, then removing the knife from the shoe, gently tipped it over to let the scorpion skitter on to the counter. “Good girl, I'm sorry your owner didn't treat you well. I'll take you back home.” Carefully, he picked up the scorpion and went behind the counter, finding a tank back there. He gently set her inside. He looked at the register and used a bit of his magic to open it, finding his host's friend's money, taking it.  
  
Before he left, 'Yugi' wrote down two notes, taking one with him. The one he left behind was a note for the police.  
  
**GAME OVER**

–

“What?!” Jounouchi exclaimed. “You went to get the sneakers, and found the owner poisoned?! Did you send him to the hospital?” He and Honda, who right now was upset that he didn't get the chance to punch the owner, had taken care of the punks and were on their way to the shop when they found Yugi walking out of the alley with the sneakers.  
  
Yugi nodded, holding up the shoes. “Yeah...” he frowned, looking a bit guilty. “But... I don't know how, but one of the sneakers has a hole...”  
  
The taller boy winced, looking at the shoe in shock, finding that it did have a hole in it. But he smiled anyway, Yugi had gotten them back all on his own... “Yugi, these sneakers are great! The hole is like a medal of honor!” He grinned, though Honda still didn't understand why they were so important.  
  
As Jounouchi put the shoe with the hole on, his foot bumped into something. Shaking the shoes, something felt out into his hand. “What's that?” Honda asked, and all three gasped. It was Jounouchi's 50,000 yen! As Jounouchi unfolded his money, a note fell out. He picked it up, reading it over.

_Jounouchi,_

_I have returned your shoes and your money from that man who had violated your soul. I am truly sorry about the hole, I didn't expect the man to stab it. I don't know how to repair sneakers. I hope the money will be enough of an apology for you, I have a feeling that you will use it for something good._

_From,_

He blinked, reading it over again, this wasn't anyone's hand writing that he knew of. It wasn't Yugi's, he knew that. Did... someone do him a favor before Yugi got there? Whoever it was, Jounouchi owned him big time.

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go, chapter seven is done! And it's eighteen pages, holy shit... I know these chapters are gonna get longer soon, at least when I do the Shadi arc and Death-T, and god only knows if I'll bother doing Duelist and Millennium World... (oh who am I kidding, I'm totally doing those arcs, I have notes of what I want happening written down)
> 
> Well anyway, those two will take a long time and I'll need to get the rest of the manga for it (since I'm missing a few volumes). I might do the DOMA arc, mainly for the puzzleshipping I can get away with, but I think I might just do something small for that, a one-shot of how Yami is feeling right after the duel where he royally fucked up.
> 
> Anyway, right, okay, return of Yami's notes, I like doing those. And if you look, I put in tiny hints of Yami's feelings towards to Yugi, he's developing feelings for his host, outside of his normal feelings for him. It will develop more as the story goes. But right now, Yami is totally crushing on Yugi, he just doesn't understand it yet.
> 
> Yugi's feelings though... well... those might take a while, since he's a little suspicious that Yami knows more about these blackouts than he lets on.
> 
> Also, Yami's name for his punishment for Ms. Chono is totally my invention, I figured that since he does Shadow Games with penalty games he announces, he gives them names. So if some don't have them in canon, I'll come up with some nonsense thing.
> 
> Next Chapter: Duel Monsters, also sometimes known as Magic and Wizards, seems to have become rather popular in Japan. Its through this game that Yugi and his other half will be dealing with someone that has a bigger impact on their lives, futures, and pasts, than they understand.
> 
> That's right, Kaiba is coming back.
> 
> Thanks for reading, please comment, always happy to hear feedback!


	8. Cards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's finally back.

A soft sigh escaped Yugi as he walked home from school, Anzu and Jounouchi close behind. He was tired, didn't get much sleep last night, he had been thinking about all the strange things happening to him lately. The dizzy spells, the sudden blackouts, injuries healing faster, the people who caused him and his friends trouble getting some sort of harsh justice or having some major problems, disillusions?

And the notes, he's kept the few he has, he looked them over last night. Even Jounouchi got one. The cops found one in the shop with the same hand writing, they checked the cameras to see who was there to write the information, but the shop's cameras burnt out when the door opened, the stranger never being seen.

“Yugi! Look out!”  
  
Yugi jumped at the sudden shout, before he was yanked back, out of the way of a speeding car. Jounouchi was holding him and Anzu looked so worried. The smaller boy wheezed, finally remembering to let out the breath he had been holding when he was grabbed. He glanced about, noticing he almost crossed the street to his house during a green light, he was so distracted that he almost got hit.

“Jeez, Yugi! You could have been killed!” Jounouchi said, frowning. “What happened?”  
  
“Sorry... a lot was on my mind, and I didn't get much sleep last night.” Yugi yawned, making his way to his house when the light turned red.

They walked into the game shop, and Yugi asked his grandpa if there was anything new he wanted to show them today. The grin on the old man's face got wide as he held up some colorful cards. “This card game is extremely popular in America... it's called Duel Monsters! Though there are places where it goes by the name Magic and Wizards.”  
  
The three friends smiled as they looked over the cards that had been put in Japanese for the release in the country. Yugi knew what these cards were already, since Grandpa had shown them to him before. Heck, he and Yami even made a deck together when the cards first came to the shop, he had noticed that the spirit seemed very fascinated by the cards actually, more than he had about any other game he had been presented with.

Yami even seemed to know a few names without looking at the names on the cards. Did he listen in on Yugi and Grandpa's conversation about the cards or something? The shadow was a really strange guy...

“Wow, the pictures are so well done!” Anzu said, looking at one of the cards in her hands. “Some of them... are on the grotesque side, though...”  
  
Jounouchi blinked, confused on what the purpose of Duel Monsters was. “The cards are meant for trading, but you can also play a game with them!” Yugi happily explained. “Two players take turns putting forward a card, and the strongest card beats the weaker one!” He went on to explain how the game was played, and that when your life points run out, you lose the duel.  
  
Grandpa joined in when Yugi mentioned that there are valuable cards, and that the old man had one of the rarest! “I guess I'll have to show it to you now... my treasure!” He pulled a card out of a box he had behind the counter.

It was a beautiful card, holographic, of a white dragon with piercing blue eyes. Yami, who watched from a wall nearby, tensed up at the sight of that card. How did he know it? Why did he know this monster? He felt like... he had encountered it a log time ago...

“This one is called the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.” Grandpa proudly said.

“Wow...” Anzu smiled, looking at it. “Makes me feel sort of solemn just looking at it...” All Jounouchi thought about it was that it must be worth a lot. He then turned to Yugi, suggesting that they should play Duel Monsters at school. Yugi was obviously very happy about this idea and agreed.

While Jounouchi went and bought himself a few booster packs of cards, the door opened, the chime above it jingling. Everyone turned to see a tall brunet step in, dressed in their school uniform, holding a briefcase. The student smiled at them, more for formal reasons rather than actually doing so. “Oh, is this where you live, Yugi?”  
  
Yugi smiled brightly at the newcomer. “Ah! You're Kaiba, from my class!” The spirit watched carefully, he knew of this Kaiba boy, from class, but he never really paid him much mind.

Until now.

There was something familiar about him as well, at least... he gave off that sort of feeling now, as he stood in the game shop with them.

Kaiba looked over at the cards in Yugi's hands and on the counter. “You guys are playing Duel Monsters?”

“Yeah! Kaiba, do you play it? You can play with us tomorrow at school!” Jounouchi suggested, only earning a questioning stare from the taller boy.  
  
“With you?!” He laughed at the mere idea! “Hey, hey, wait a second! I don't know if you guys are good enough to play with me. Let me see your cards for a second.” He looked over the cards Jounouchi handed to him, smirking, then tossing them at the blond. “Haha! No way! What a beginner, you're not cut out to duel me!”  
  
He stared at the other, who was gathering his cards up from the ground. “I am the champion of the Duel Monsters National Tournament! And I've collected nothing but the best cards!” He smirked, glaring at Jounouchi. “Well... come back to me when you've collected 10,000 cards.”  
  
He chuckled, stepping past the fuming blond, while Yugi told him to calm down. “Old man, do you sell cards here? Or do you buy cards?”

Grandpa nodded. “Sure, sure! I do both!” He smiled to himself at the idea of getting more money, and maybe even some new cards! Always good for business, yes sir! Kaiba glanced at the cards on the counter before his eyes stopped on one, the Blue-Eyes. He was shocked, frozen as he stared at it.

A flash, white and blue, the sound of a distant, booming roar, in the back of his mind...

The spirit of the puzzle shuddered, suddenly feeling very off. He wanted to retreat to the puzzle, but... Kaiba was looking at that card with the desire of a man gone mad.

He watched as Kaiba seemed to snap out of his daze, saying he was willing to pay anything for that card. Grandpa said that he wouldn't sell it. Then Kaiba slammed his briefcase on the counter, opening it up to show thousands of Duel Monsters cards! Everyone was shocked to see them, but were even more shocked when Grandpa politely declined the offer to trade his card for any of those.

He told Kaiba that the card was very important to him, a gift from his oldest friend who lived in America. He didn't care what the card was worth, it was precious to him, even if it was a weaker, less rare card, it would still be the most important in the world to him.  
  
Kaiba growled, slamming the case shut, his face was calm, but his eyes showed anger. “I understand! Good bye!” He turned, walking out, slamming the door behind him.

–

The next day in class, Yugi and Jounouchi were dueling during break, catching the attention of several of the other students. It was rather enjoyable, especially when Yugi beat Jounouchi for the umpteenth time, thanks to Yami's tips and suggestions. It took Yugi a moment to realize that someone was watching only him, and he turned to see Kaiba smiling at him.  
  
“Umm...” Kaiba started, pointing at Yugi's school bag. “Did you... happen to bring the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to school?”  
  
“How did...” Yugi blinked, but he smiled happily. “Well, you said you understood! Anyway, Grandpa agreed to lend it to me, but just for today! I'm not allowed to play it though!”

“That's alright. It's just... could I look at it again? After holding it just once, I was too excited to sleep last night!” And he had felt an instant connection, like he was meant to own a Blue-Eyes, to use it as a key to victories in his life, even outside of this game. “And anyway, I do understand what your grandfather said, but... I'm in love with that card.”

He wasn't lying, that card was more important to him that in just being a powerful, rare beast.

Yugi blinked, looking at Kaiba, seeing that he actually looked to be honest about what he said, even Yami seemed to notice this, but... the other was a bit weary of Kaiba. “Oh, alright! You can see it!” Yugi smiled, taking the card from his bag, offering it to Kaiba.  
  
“Yes... just as beautiful as I remember it...” But unknown to Yugi, though noticed by Yami, Kaiba had quickly switched the card with a fake. He handed it back to Yugi, smiling at him with a thank you.

Yami tensed up, Kaiba... you're making a grave mistake...

–

Kaiba made his way to the school gates, pleased with himself about how well the plan went. He was going to be unstoppable at his next tournament!

“Kaiba!”  
  
He stopped, looking back to see Yugi standing behind him, there was a strange, quiet air of worry and warning coming from the smaller boy. “Yugi?” He blinked, feeling on edge as those orchid eyes seemed to stare directly into his soul. “Haha... Yugi, are you... going home?”  
  
“Kaiba!” Yugi exclaimed. “Please give that card back to me!”  
  
The brunet stared in shock, how did Yugi figure it out?! “When I showed it to you... you switched the card with a fake...” Yugi began, looking betrayed.

“Are you calling me a thief?! I gave you back the card, just as it was when you handed it to me!”  
  
“I know the difference between a copy and the real thing... please give it back!”  
  
Kaiba glared deeply at the boy. “I... I don't know what you're talking about!”  
  
“Yes you do, Kaiba!” Yugi yelled. “Listen! That card is very important to my grandpa! If I broke my promise, and didn't return it to him, it would break his heart! My grandpa means a lot to me, and I don't want to let him down!”  
  
Kaiba laughed slightly at this, giving Yugi a wicked smirk. This made Yugi shudder and Yami to tense up. “Oh boy... you're breaking my heart! I don't know anything, really, I'm your friend, so why won't you believe me?” He turned to walk away.  
  
“Kaiba!”  
  
“Shut up!”  
  
Turning fast, Kaiba swung his briefcase, striking Yugi with it. The taller student stared down at him, looking rather proud of himself. “I can't believe you're making such a big deal about his sentimentality! He's an old man! He doesn't understand that winning is more important than anything!”  
  
As Kaiba turned to finally leave the grounds, there was a sudden change in the air, something heavy, old, and dark... familiar? Slowly, Kaiba turned back, seeing Yugi sitting up, his outfit having a slight change to it. Ankhs? Where did those come from? And what's with his hair?

He felt like ice just filled his veins when crimson eyes stared at him, filled with pure rage.

“ _Kaiba...”_ That voice... it was different, that's not the same little, mousy voice Yugi had, _“I will finish this in a Shadow Game! And I will get Mr. Mutou's treasure back!”_  
  
–

Kaiba was honestly confused, Yugi wasn't Yugi anymore, he was someone else... this was like another side that people never got to see.

The two sat at a table in an empty classroom, both of their decks on the table. This other Yugi informed Kaiba that the rules of the game they were to play were Duel Monster's rules, though there would be a difference in game play. Kaiba didn't care, he felt like this version of Yugi would make the game interesting. He could see it in those burning, crimson eyes that stared at him, as if to read his soul.

“Kaiba... before we begin, I must ask... have we met before?”  
  
The taller of the two shook his head. “No, but I have a question for you, Other Yugi, who are you?”  
  
“All I can say is that my host calls me Yami, and Other Me. I don't really know the answer to your question, but what I do know is that I will be the one to put you in your place.” A smirk played on his lips.

Kaiba smirked as well, oh yes, this game was going to be very interesting...

“ **So... Game Start!”**  
  
“Then it's my turn.” Kaiba reached over, taking a card from his deck. He smirked, placing the card on the field. He had summoned a five star 'Gargoyle'. As he set the card down, something seemed to rise from the image, becoming a small, solid creature on the table. Kaiba stared in shock, before grinning, this was amazing! It was real, right before his eyes!  
  
'Yugi' smirked, placing a card on the table as well. It was a card that Yugi had played earlier, when he was dueling Jounouchi before the Blue-Eyes incident. “I attack your Gargoyle with my 'Dark Dragon'.”  
  
Just like the previous card, the dragon sprung to life as well. The Other Yugi ordered his monster to attack, destroying the monster, but the card also seemed to vanish as well. It was truly sent to the graveyard!

“Only the image is gone, the defeated in this game will wait in the Penalty Game.” 'Yugi' smirked. “Those are the rules of this Shadow Game.” Kaiba looked at the table, staring at it, a bit surprised it seems. “Now, your life points drop from 2000 to 1500! The first person to zero loses, Kaiba, but you knew that already.”  
  
Crimson eyes stared at him, burning with a passion that Kaiba had never seen before in anyone he has ever dueled with. “And... the defeated will experience a Penalty Game similar to death!” Now, unlike the criminal at Burger World, Kaiba was just being an ass who could just return the card, but he's stubborn. So he's not going to actually die, he's just... going to experience a simulation of death, 'Yugi' didn't like going to the option of actual murder, too messy.  
  
A soft chuckle turned into a full out laugh of glee as Kaiba looked at 'Yugi', excitement and praise in his eyes at the brilliant duel the other was providing him. “This is fun! This could be the ultimate duel to the death!” This was the thrill he had been looking for in games for so long!  
  
'Yugi' nodded, kind of happy to see that Kaiba understood the game, since most of his opponents in the past never seemed to get these things, or pick up on them quick enough. Too cocky, too nervous, Kaiba was just... excited. This made the game more interesting for 'Yugi'. “Now, it's your turn to draw a card.”  
  
Kaiba nodded, drawing a card from his deck. A smirk formed on his lips as he chuckled. “Yes, I drew the Minotaur! It's a rare 'beast soldier' card!” He placed it on the field, watching it form. The armored bull came forth, it was stronger than the Other Yugi's card by two hundred points.  
  
“My card is superior to your Dark Dragon, in both attack and defense! No matter how much it struggles, your card can't beat mine!” Kaiba ordered his monster to attack the dragon, watching with glee as the dragon lost its head to the blade of the Minotaur's ax.  
  
'Yugi': 1800 life points.

Kaiba: 1500 life points.  
  
'Yugi' took his turn, drawing a card. He placed on the field the Holy Elf, a very weak monster in attack, but her defense was 2000, so she was a good monster to have. He played the card in defense mode, ending his turn.  
  
“Ha! Looks like I can't successfully attack it... I'd lose life points if I tried... my Minotaur movies into defense position.” Kaiba put the card in the same state as 'Yugi's' elf.  
  
It seems that a stalemate has formed, until someone could draw a card that would beat the other duelist's monster. Kaiba looked at a card that he drew, placing it on the table face down behind his monster. Shit, was it a magic card?  
  
'What magic card did he draw? It must be a power up card...' 'Yugi' thought as he drew a card. Uhg, it was a very weak monster, no good!

It was Kaiba's turn once again and he activated his magic card. It was the card Giant Transformation, and it increased his monster card's power by 20 percent! Now its attack went from 1700 to 2040, making it strong enough to take out the Holy Elf and her high defense.

–

The duel played on and 'Yugi' was in trouble, his life points had gone down to 500 due to failed attempts at fighting that powered up monster, and Kaiba's remained at 1500. “Give up, Other Yugi! You don't stand a chance!” Kaiba taunted.  
  
'Yugi' was worried, he couldn't lose, he had to get that card back and set Kaiba straight! 'If the next card I draw isn't strong enough to beat Minotaur... I'll lose!' He sighed softly, drawing a card. Kaiba noticed his expression changed, did he get a good card?  
  
“The strongest card in my deck! Summon Skull!”  
  
Kaiba's eyes widened as he looked at the monster that rose from the card just played on the field. It was a 2500 attack monster, more than enough to defeat that bull!  
  
“Summon Skull? A demon type monster... and one of the strongest of that class... How can you have such a rare card?!”  
  
'Yugi' smirked. “Summon Skull, attack Minotaur!”  
  
The demon screeched, summoning lightning that struck the Minotaur, killing it. Kaiba's life points dropped at this, since his bull's attack went back to 1700 when it died, he lost much more from that attack.  
  
The tables have turned, but the duel wasn't over yet.  
  
“Now then...” 'Yugi' spoke up, “What will you do?”  
  
The brunet looked at the field, he was down to 800 life points, he knew he didn't have a chance in hell to summon anything in the next turn to beat the demon that 'Yugi' played.

However...

'There's one thing that could insure victory! Heh, I forgot to put the card into my deck, so it is still in my pocket! If I can bring out my trump card... I'll win!' A twisted smirk came to Kaiba as he looked at his opponent. “Yugi, you're pretty good! Up until this point, I wasn't afraid for my life!” He carefully pulled the care out of his pocket, sneaking it to the top of his deck.  
  
“And now...” He drew the card. “With this trump card, I still don't! Because that card is this!”  
  
The new card on the field formed, and 'Yugi's eyes widened in shock at the beautiful, white dragon before him. A flash in his mind, of seeing this dragon like this before, someone... in the background, no, he can't make them out, can't hear the voice... He blinked, the image was gone, just the dragon and Kaiba before him.  
  
“M-My host's grandfather's card...!” He stammered out, to which Kaiba laughed.  
  
“You thought I wouldn't use his grandfather's card?! You're right, because this is _my_ card!”  
  
The attack difference between the two monsters on the field was enough to destroy what remained of 'Yugi's' life points, and if he lost, then he would have to punish himself...!

“Attack, Blue-Eyes! Destroy the Other Yugi!” Kaiba ordered.  
  
But... nothing happened, the dragon just floated there, not listening to Kaiba at all.

'Yugi' looked at the brunet across from him, a sad expression on his face, a look of disappointment was clear in those eyes of his. “Kaiba... it seems that you don't understand this game at all... it didn't attack me because the Blue-Eyes White Dragon doesn't have your heart in it!”  
  
“What?!”  
  
“I can see it! Mr. Mutou's heart is in this Blue-Eyes!” Both duelists watched as the dragon started to vanish, but Kaiba started at it in fear and guilt when the dragon looked back at him. He couldn't look at them, he turned away.  
  
“You thought that the dragon would disregard its loyalty to Mr. Mutou and destroy me...” 'Yugi' continued to speak, “well, did it accomplish that mission?”  
  
“You... you idiot! A card can't have loyalty!”  
  
He only shook his head, his game face back in place. “My turn! I already had a magic card face down here, and now I'll use it!”  
  
Flipping the card over, he revealed that he had placed down the magic card Monster Reborn.  
  
He activated its magic, bringing back the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Now the dragon faced Kaiba instead of the Yami Yugi, and it looked angry and upset. Another strange image came to Kaiba, a slab of stone, with the etching of a dragon, he felt like there was a heavy weight in his arms, before he was brought back to reality when he was attacked, his life points dropping to zero.

“ _The Door of Darkness has opened...”_  
  
'Yugi' stood up, the glowing eye of wadjet on his head. _“And now... the Penalty Game! Experience of Death!”_  
  
Kaiba was struck by a bright light, before he found himself in a dark world, surrounded by monsters, and he screamed in fear.  
  
The smaller boy frowned, seeing the blank look on Kaiba's face as he sat in his seat before his eyes closed, looking like he was asleep now.  
  
Reached out, 'Yugi' picked up the Blue-Eyes, staring at it for a moment, before putting it into his pocket. _“Kaiba, in that world, you will experience death. But don't worry, it's only a night's worth of nightmares, just an illusion, you don't deserve real death.”_  
  
**GAME OVER**

–

Yugi found himself in front of the game shop, looking confused. When... did he get here? He didn't remember walking home, he did remember getting hit with a briefcase... OH! The card!  
  
He realized that his hands were in his pockets, and he pulled out two things, the Blue-Eyes card, and another mysterious note.  
_  
Yugi,_

_I had to duel Kaiba for the card, he wasn't going to just give it up so easily, like the stubborn man that he is._

_Take good care of your monsters, your cards, they are allies that you may need in future battles. They have hearts, respect them._

There was no name, but Yugi expected that. He didn't understand what the letter meant, but... he felt like he could trust the words of his mysterious friend...

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but that's because it's just for Kaiba.
> 
> But yes, here we go! I scrapped the idea of Kaiba having Seth with him, which is a lot easier to work with. However, I replaced him with Kaiba having strange flashbacks, but this is canon, I'm just making it happen earlier then Battle City.
> 
> Okay, so here's the thing, we'll be seeing more of Kaiba again soon, through those four gamers he uses to try to take out Yugi. I really liked those episodes from season zero, so it will be fun to add them to the plot. However, Death-T will remain as it is from the manga, because I want to include Mokuba's little games into the story. And also I thought the episode versions were really dull, I mean, year, Jounouchi in the fighting suit was cool, but they took out some of my favorite stuff, like Jounouchi kicking that assassin in the face, or him fighting the killer, and the whole haunted house ride, holy shit.
> 
> Also, I almost used the episode where we meet Kaiba in season zero for this, then I remembered he avoided his punishment at the end of the duel by making it a draw, so fuck that, Kaiba, you're getting the experience of death.
> 
> Next chapter: Jounouchi isn't at school, what could have happened to him? And who are those strange, angry men he's hanging out with? Jounouchi, don't you know who your real friends are?
> 
> Thanks for reading, please comment!


	9. The Cruel Gang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't one of my favorite stories, but at the same time, I also really love it. I freaking adore the bond between Yugi and Jounouchi in this, along with what Honda says about his friendship with the guy. This is very important to me.
> 
> What I don't like is the fucking violence against Jounouchi by the gang, and the fact that he gets electrocuted violently (won't be the last time, this happens again during Battle City). I'll admit, I'm half tempted to give Jounouchi some issues with side effects to having been shocked with a taser in this, but I might leave that for when he gets hit with lightening from Ra in Battle City (if I ever write that, because the idea of him having one of those scars that looks like lightening in his skin... holy shit, that would be awesome, I'm sorry...)
> 
> Warning: violence, electrocution, almost attempted murder, based on the manga chapters, the yo-yo gang will come later in the story (unlike in the anime)
> 
> Just a heads up, this is the last update for the next few days, I have a paper for my game class and a paper for my archaeology class to do, but I promise to write the next one after Thursday. 
> 
> On with the fic!

_That day, I got on the bus at the usual time, I got to school at 8:20 like I normally did, I greeted everyone just like always... but one thing was different..._

_Jounouchi wasn't at school._

–

“This is bad! Why is Jounouchi absent?!” Honda freaked. “He has never missed a single day of school! Sure, he is only really good in gym class and terrible in other ones, but he is always present for class!” The beautification club member was in a panic right now.

Yugi frowned, feeling a small brush of worry inside of himself. Guess his own emotions had gotten to his other half.

 _What's going on, Other Me?_ Yami asked, sounding a bit sleepy, guess he was woken up by this.

“This is the first time Jounouchi has been absent...” Yugi spoke out loud, before turning to Honda. “Do you have any idea where he is, Honda?”  
  
“Well... I dunno how to contact him.” Honda frowned.  
  
“He keeps to himself too much.” Anzu sighed, and Miho nodded, saying yes a few times.

Then Honda turned to them all, a serious expression on his face. “After school, I'll go to his place! I know where he lives.” The others agreed, saying that they wanted to come with him. Yami watched from the shadow Yugi cast on his desk, feeling a bad set of energy from this whole thing.

Something was very wrong, and he worried that these four would not like the answer to their questions about their missing friend...

After school, the four students and the shadow walked down a few streets, everyone being quiet until Yugi spoke up. “Honda, you've known Jounouchi since elementary school...” He mumbled softly.  
  
“Yeah,” Honda frowned, looking at him, “but he almost never invited me to his place...” They came to a stop and looked up at an apartment building. Honda told them that this was the place, and he had only been here once, a long time ago.  
  
He took them up to the third floor, finding the first door with a small sign next to it that read the name 'Jounouchi'. Everyone was quiet, nervous, who was going to check to see if he was home...?  
  
It seems that Miho was going to do that for everyone, as she turned the knob. “Look! It's open!” She pulled it open a little, enough for the four to peek inside. But a beer bottle came flying towards them, smashing against the door, startling everyone and alerting Yami.  
  
A loud, gruff voice was heard from inside the apartment. “Y-you! This d-damn brat! Hasn't been home... in two days...!”  
  
The group of students slammed the door, running down the stairs for their lives. Anzu asked who that man was, and Honda's face showed a solemn expression. “That's his old man... he's been like that for a long time... I guess that's why Jounouchi never invites anyone over...”  
  
Honda continued, saying that they needed to keep looking since Jounouchi hadn't been home for two days, according to the blond's father.

This only makes things worse for them, Jounouchi, where are you...?

–

“Yami... I'm getting a bad feeling that something horrible has happened to Jounouchi...” Yugi mumbled under his breath, looking at the ground, seeing his shadow turn his head to 'look' at him.  
  
_Don't think like that, Yugi, just keep looking. I'll try my best to find him as well._

Yugi smiled a little, happy that Yami offered to help, but what could a spirit that lived in his shadow really do? Well... aside from stretching himself out to look around, but even then, that could only help so much. At this point, anything was good to help them find his missing friend.  
  
Everyone looked around in all the places that Jounouchi was normally hanging out in, or made weekly and/or daily visits to. But they had yet to find him, and no one they asked knew where he was either. It seemed like this search was a dead end now...  
  
“No good... he's nowhere.” Honda sighed, feeling like this was pointless now.

“We've tried all of his usual hangouts...” Anzu spoke, glancing around. It was now just the three of them, since Miho had to head home due to her curfew, but she promised to contact them if she saw Jounouchi on her way home.  
  
Yugi nodded, frowning deeply. Honda noticed this, seeing how upset Yugi looked. “I'll keep looking, you guys get home before it gets dark... don't worry about him. I'm sure he'll show up tomorrow!”  
  
The smaller boy nodded, and Anzu smiled at him, trying to reassure her best friend. “Honda's right, Yugi. You see? It's gonna be okay.” She said as they started to walk, but a loud voice got their attention.  
  
They looked over at a group of students from another school, they had surrounded a man in a suit, yelling at him. “Fuckin' stepped on my foot? Why don't you look where you walk?!” A member of the ground, wearing round glasses and a hat, spoke up as he held the other person to his face.  
  
“I... I'm sorry...”  
  
“What you gonna give me to forget about it?”  
  
Yami watched, feeling the need to possibly step in. But... something was wrong, he sensed malice from these teenagers, except... he felt like one of them was different?

Honda sighed and glared over at the gang. “That's Rintama's school uniform. That place is really bad... better leave 'em alone...” Suddenly, Yugi gasped, catching his and Anzu's attention.  
  
“Honda! It's him! It's Jounouchi!”

And Yugi was right. Standing in the group was the familiar boy, in his own school uniform, watching one of the gang members kick the poor man, but he did nothing.  
  
“W-why?! Why is he with those punks from Rintama!?” Honda exclaimed, this wasn't right!  
  
A large student, with his hair in a small ponytail, placed a hand on Jounouchi's shoulder, smirking at him. “Come on, Jounouchi. Let's go to our place, it's called 'J'z', you'll like it.” Something clicked in Yugi's head, and he rushed towards his friend, much to Yami's protest for him to stop.  
  
“Jounouchi! Jounouchi!” Yugi called out, catching the boy's attention. “Why'd you skip school, Jounouchi!? _Why are you with people like them?!"_  Yugi's voice sounded odd during that last sentence, though it could just be the distress he was expressing. Though, for a moment, his eyes went from purple to red, but no one noticed.

Even someone like Yami, a strong soul, was so worked up and bothered about this, he was just as worried at his other half, if not more.

The punk in glasses glanced over at Yugi while Jounouchi looked away. “People like them? Does he mean us? You know that kid, Jounouchi?”  
  
“Nah.” Jounouchi mumbled. “Never seen him... come on, let's go...”  
  
_“Jounouchi!”_ Yugi yelled, his eyes flashing to red. Jounouchi saw this, but when he blinked, Yugi looked normal again. What was that? A trick of the eye? That voice though...

The blue haired man looked at the group, smirking. Honda realized who this man was, it was Hirutani! Someone that Jounouchi use to hang out with in middle school, but he thought that his friend had dropped all contact with this asshole!  
  
_“Come back with us, Jounouchi!”_ Again, Yugi seemed different, though... he didn't feel different, just a bit lightheaded, not dizzy, but still.

The glasses guy huffed, tired of Yugi's yelling. “Hirutani, that kid's getting' on my nerves... Jounouchi said he didn't know 'em!”  
  
“Heh...” Hirutani smirked as Jounouchi turned away, back facing Yugi. The guy in glasses walked up to Yugi and in one quick movement, he punched the boy right in his face. “Shut up the hell up, whiny!” Honda and Anzu gasped at the sight, Yami felt the urge to maim, and Jounouchi jerked, but... he didn't do anything about what he just saw.

The guy laughed, looking at the kid he just struck. “Who said you could talk to Jounouchi? Next time I see your face, I'll cut off your hair and feed it to ya!”  
  
Honda and Anzu helped Yugi to sit up, looking him over to make sure he was okay. “Yugi! Are you alright?” Honda asked, watching the smaller boy reach out weakly to their... well... can he even be considered a friend after what just happened?  
  
“J-Jounouchi...” Yugi said softly, watching him walk away. No, why would he let this happen...  
  
Anzu glared at the blond. “Jounouchi! You're the worst, I can't believe you!” How could he just let that asshole hit Yugi like that!? She had thought he had changed, he was Yugi's best friend, he'd never let someone hurt him!  
  
“What's with you, Jounouchi?!” Honda barked, not getting a response as he watched the group walk away.  
  
–

Yugi winced a little at the wet rang Anzu put to his stinging cheek, trying to tell her he was okay. He's had worse, this just caught him by surprise. He felt feelings of guilt from Yami, hearing him apologize over and over for not being able to stop that punch. Yugi sent him feelings of 'it's okay, not your fault', though he didn't know what the spirit could have done to have prevented it anyway.  
  
The three friends sat in a playground, thinking over what had just happened. Honda had stayed quiet until he finally decided to speak up, looking over at Yugi. “Yugi... Jounouchi... was in a gang in middle school. There was a time where he lived to fight with gangs from other schools, sometimes even high school gangs. He had a long record, they almost sent him to jail... that's when he was with Hirutani.”  
  
The smaller boy looked up at the brunet, a bit shocked that Jounouchi had almost went to jail! Well, he had heard rumors that Jounouchi had a reputation for getting into fights, shit, he's seen him in action, but... nothing like that. He didn't really know the guy in middle school, they were in different classes, he didn't interact with people outside of Anzu then anyway.

The spirit of the puzzle listened in, he knew that Jounouchi didn't have a perfect life, but... he wondered if the violence in middle school was a way to vent his anger. He could relate, he vented his out through his games and magic, often violently.  
  
“I mean,” Honda continued, “no, we hang out all the time, but... I really used to look up to him. But I never had to guts to tell him... he used to look out for the younger guys, and he never beat up on the weaker dudes.” He glanced at Yugi. “But I can't understand it... what's his deal? Maybe he's not coming back, damnit!”  
  
Yugi looked at Honda before looking down at his puzzle, toying with it a little, a small comfort he's picked up. 'Jounouchi... that's right, it was because of this puzzle that I made friends with him...' He sighed, holding the puzzle close as he took everything in. He got positive feelings from Yami as he rubbed it gently.  
  
_Don't give up on him, Yugi. Jounouchi knows that you are his best friend, and nothing will change that. Something is up, and I think that your friend is not doing this willingly. But don't worry, we'll get him back, stay positive!_  
  
The boy nodded, smiling as he looked at his friends. “I believe in him. Jounouchi hasn't changed! He couldn't have!”  
  
“Yugi...” Honda blinked, but smiled, standing up. “That's right! He may not be a genius, but he wouldn't treat his real friends that way!”  
  
“Yup!”  
  
“Let's go get him back!” Anzu cheered.  
  
Honda said that he was going to go on his own, but Yugi and Anzu insisted on going as well. They decided to go to that J'z place that was mentioned, that's gotta be where Jounouchi is.

–

J'z is an underground bad, hidden in a dirty, gang oriented location of Domino. A man in the Rintama school uniform was leaving as Honda, Yugi, and Anzu walked towards the bar. “Okay... one of them is out! Heh, one is no problem... I could take three of these punks.” Honda spoke before he started to trail the man with Yugi and Anzu following behind.  
  
The man mumbled to himself about getting some weird, foreign cigarettes for Hirutani, only to be confronted by Honda, who got into a fight with him. Yugi and Anzu watched, a bit shocked at Honda, especially considering how he tried not to be too violent, as it was not the beautification way! But... well... he was cleaning up trash, in a way, so this worked?  
  
“Alright!” Honda ordered. “Why's Jounouchi hanging out with you guys! Spill it! Speak up, or you're dead!”  
  
“I get it... I'll talk...” The man sighed in defeat.  
  
–

In the bar, the gang of Rintama students were hanging out and talking. Hirutani turned to look at Jounouchi, who sat by himself, a distant look on his face. “Glad you joined us, Jounouchi!” He spoke up, trying to get his attention. “Let's have fun, just like old times.”  
  
“We'll make them recognize us all over Tokyo!” The guy in the glasses smirked, turning to his gang leader, offering him a cigarette. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jounouchi move, glaring at the glasses guy hard.  
  
“What is it? Huh? There's something stuck on my face, Jounouchi?”  
  
Jounouchi just turned away, pissing off the glasses guy. Apparently Hirutani has been bringing in his old friends to expand his gang's turf, including his old right hand man, Jounouchi.

But he had refused at first, saying he wanted no part of it.

The blond glared at the glasses guy once again, a look of raw anger in his brown eyes. “Whatcha thinkin' about, Jounouchi? You rather be playing house with star head?”

However... when Hirutani told him that if Jounouchi didn't join his gang, he'd attack all the kids in his Domino High class, one by one...

BANG!  
  
“Uh... what?”  
  
Jounouchi had slapped his hands down on the table he sat in front of before standing up, his face expressionless, except for that burning rage in his eyes. “No way... No way I'm letting that pass...” He stared at the guy in the glasses, punching him right in the jaw with a hell of an uppercut, sending him flying into the nearest wall as Hirutani smirked.  
  
“No way I'm letting you get away with hitting my friend!” Jounouchi hollered. If there was one thing he hated, it had to be anyone hurting his best friends in anyway, shape, or form, and him not being able to stop it from happening. He felt like such a fucking fool for turning his back on Yugi like that! He'll never forgive himself for being such a shithead, letting that punk hurt his buddy!

He'd give anything for Yugi to forgive him for that...  
  
Hirutani smirked, chuckling at Jounouchi's sudden actions. “I'm glad you're finally getting the old look back in your eyes... too bad for you that it's aimed at us. Hold him down!” He ordered. “Jounouchi needs an attitude lesson!”  
  
Quickly, Jounouchi was surrounded by the rest of the gang that was in the room, just as his friends outside of the bar were being told why he was with these punks.  
  
_'I knew you hadn't changed, Jounouchi!'_  
  
Jounouchi blinked, he swore he had heard Yugi's voice in his head, though... it sounded more like that voice Yugi had earlier, when he swore he has seen red instead of purple. He snapped back into attention when he looked at the guys around him and went to fight.  
  
He did well at first, but was soon overwhelmed and brought down to the ground, pinned by one of the larger gang members. “Time for a change of scene! To the torture chamber!” Hirutani announced.  
  
–

Rain was starting to fall as a storm started just when Yugi and his friends stood outside of J'z. “Yugi, Anzu... you guys stay back! I'll go in alone!” Honda stated.  
  
“B-But Honda...!” Yugi tried to argue.  
  
“Those guys are from Rintama! You can't take them on!” He fought back. “Yugi, even though you're my friend, I don't want you falling to my level.” He started to descend the stairs and into the bar, only to find it empty except for the unconscious body of the man that Jounouchi had punched.

Honda returned upstairs, telling the others that it was empty. “Huh?! Then where's Jounouchi now...!?” Yugi freaked, more worried then he was before.  
  
“I don't know, but looking at how messed up the place was, Jounouchi's gotta be in trouble..."  
  
“We have to find him quick!” Anzu gasped. “Let's split up and look for him!”  
  
They agreed, running in separate directions, looking for the guy who could be in serious danger.

And he was.  
  
Hanging from a hook that he was tied to in an old, worn down storage building, Jounouchi glared at the men before him, spitting out a bit of blood that had collected in his mouth.  
  
“Hehehe... I like this view, Jounouchi.” Hirutani smirked.  
  
“Hmph!” Jounouchi huffed. “The view from here isn't so bad either!” He started to laugh. “Look! It's a red ass boss monkey and his pack!” His joke earned him a punch, worth it!

Hirutani sighed, shaking his head. “Jounouchi... you've been like this since middle school. Always acting like we're equal. Still, nothing could stop us when we were together... even some high school gangs were afraid of us. We had plenty of people working for us... but the one thing I never managed to do...” He narrowed his eyes, “was teach you this: I am the boss! You will always be second in command!”  
  
Jounouchi only laughed loudly at this. “Of course... that's just what a boss monkey would think! You done? Well, lemme tell you, I've got a good memory. I know you jerks' faces, I remember how many times each of you hit me. You know I hold a grudge, I'm going to pay you back double!”  
  
His old 'friend' was amused by this. “Don't worry, this isn't even the main course. The next item on the menu will blow your mind!”  
  
The blond blinked, noticing that the gang members were all holding stun guns in their hands, active ones. One of the punks came up to him, about to touch him with the object. “These are 200,000 volt stun guns. When I flip the switch, the electricity comes on, and when that happens, it's gonna blow your memories right out of your head... and maybe your life too, so let's go...”  
  
“YOU GODDAMN JERK!” Jounouchi screamed and swung himself, kicking the guy in the head, sending him flying. He got rid of that guy, but another gang member came up to him, placing the stun gun against him, turning it on.  
  
_**“AAAAAAAARRRRGHH!!!”**_  
  
Yugi came to a sudden stop, hearing a scream in his head. “Jounouchi...!” He placed his hands on the puzzle, closing his eyes. “Please... Millennium Puzzle... Other Me... tell me where Jounouchi is!”  
  
In Yugi's mind's eye, he saw the image of an old building, and saw the display of his friend being attacked.  
  
When he opened his eyes, orchid became crimson.

–

The storm raged on as Jounouchi's body twitched violently. He didn't look good, he didn't feel good at all...  
  
“Hey, Hirutani,” one of the guys spoke up, “he can't even talk anymore! He's just twitching now.”  
  
“Should we stop now?” Another asked.  
  
“Do it!” Hirutani grinned darkly.  
  
“Uh... but if we keep going he'll die...”  
  
“DO IT!”  
  
_“STOP!”_  
  
Suddenly the air in the building turned heavy and dark, almost suffocating at the sound of the new voice that echoed throughout the building.  
  
Everyone looked over, seeing the boy from earlier that day, only he didn't look like the weak child he had sn when they encountered him before. He looked different, and he looked beyond pissed off. “How _DARE_ you hurt Jounouchi! I won't let you get away with this... any of you!” He growled, never noticing that through a daze, Jounouchi was looking right at him, so confused, in so much pain, and he was blacking out.  
  
“Y-Yugi...?” He wheezed, falling in and out of consciousness.  
  
'Yugi' walked over to them, standing by the man that had been knocked out by Jounouchi's kick. “Oh, heh, I've seen this kid before.” Hirutani spoke up, “This little brat hangs around Jounouchi, he's his friend.” 'Yugi' just glared harder at him. “If that's all the help he has, then he's done for...” The taller man laughed, along with his ground.  
  
“Hey kid! This is our hangout...” One of the gang members moved over to 'Yugi'. “Not your playground!” He yelled, striking him right in the cheek, sending him into some rubbish that he had been standing next to.  
  
A small amount of blood came from 'Yugi's' mouth after he sat up from being knocked to the floor. As the others laughed at him, 'Yugi' took in his surroundings and a game came to mind, but he had to work fast to set it up. He grabbed a small, metal bar and removed his puzzle. He used these items for his game before he stood up and faced the gang as he stood on a tire.  
  
“Well, now it's my turn to start something!” He smirked. “A game! I challenge you four to a game!”  
  
They seemed rather confused by 'Yugi's' words, making him chuckle. “Haven't you figured it out? There's a time bomb hidden at your feet... and the switch attached to that bomb, it's already ticking off the seconds.

“A bomb?!”  
  
“What are you talking about, wimp!?”  
  
The boy watched them in amusement. “Now, the question is... can you find the switch? If you do, you win! My life is yours to take! But if you can't find it, there's a Penalty Game... the bomb will explode, taking you with it! Now, wring your brains for the answer!”  
  
One of the members smirked. “Hirutani... the kid's bluffing! Mouth's writing checks his body can't cash... let's stun him and watch him jerk around!”  
  
That's when Hirutani noticed something. “Wait! Don't use the stun guns!”  
  
'Yugi' raised an eyebrow when the larger man looked at him. “Hehehe... I get what he was saying... He's not bluffing, look!” He pointed to the ground, the four of them were standing in a large puddle, all of them soaked by the heavy rain that fell on them from a hole in the ceiling. “We're all soaked with rain... that brat stood there just to lure us into the puddle, so we'd get water on us! He let us hit him with that in mind...”  
  
“Ah! That's right! We're all wet! That means-!”  
  
“You've got it... if even one of us turns on a stun gun right now, 200,000 volts will go from his hands to the puddle... and the four of us will be blown away by that kid's bomb.”  
  
He laughed at this. “We've found the switch, kid! We're safe if we don't use the guns, so we'll use our fists instead!” They moved, advancing on 'Yugi', but the boy just smiled wickedly.  
  
_“The Door of Darkness has opened...”_  
  
Just as one of the guys was about to hit him, 'Yugi' looked amused, but the stare he gave the man made his freeze in his steps. _“Heh... but you didn't find the switch, I'm the winner.”_ The smirk on his lips grew darker. _“And that switch is about to activate... right... now.”  
_  
The sound of someone moaning softly caught their attention, and everyone looked at the man who had been kicked in the face. His hand that held his active taser was held above the puddle by the metal rod, the puzzle was tied above him on a chain, dripping water on his face, waking him up.  
  
"He set this up when he got hit?!” Hirutani gasped, watching the man wake up, dropping his hand down towards the puddle. “D-Don't wake up!”  
  
_“Switch on.”_  
  
The stun gun touched the water and 200,000 volts of electricity ran through everyone's bodies, excluding 'Yugi', as he was safe on top of the tire.

 **GAME OVER  
**  
He sighed, shaking his head at the pile of men on the ground, kicking away the active stun gun as he got off the tire, grabbing his puzzle before making his way towards Jounouchi. He found the other to be staring at him with a dazed look. “Yugi...” He mumbled, his voice weak and hoarse from his screams.  
  
“Don't talk, Jounouchi... save your strength.” 'Yugi' bit his lip as he tried to get the blond down without causing him more pain. Once he got Jounouchi freed from his restraints, he laid him down on the ground, looking him over, trying to heal some of the injuries when Jounouchi closed his eyes.  
  
He stopped his actions when he heard voices, and in the blink of an eye, Yugi stared down at his friend, seeing the injured man in his arms. “Oh Jounouchi... I'm so sorry...”

“Yugi!”  
  
“Jounouchi!”  
  
He looked over at the entrance, seeing Honda and Anzu running over to him, asking if Jounouchi was alright. A soft sound came from Yugi's side, and he smiled when he saw his friend open his eyes, amber looking up at orchid.  
  
Jounouchi was confused for a moment, he saw his best friend looking normal, but... was it the pain that made Yugi look different moments ago?  
  
“Jounouchi!” Yugi smiled brightly. “It's me! Let's go back!”  
  
He stared at Yugi before smiling, clinging to him as he yelled his name.

–

Yugi sat in his room that night, hugging himself as he thought over what had happened earlier. Poor Jounouchi was in the hospital right now, getting treatment for his injuries. He was surprised that Jounouchi had survived all of that, and had stayed awake when they got him to the hospital not too long ago.  
  
All the while, Yami was very quiet, catching Yugi's attention as he looked at his black shadow on the wall. “Other Me?”  
  
The spirit twitched. _Yugi?_  
  
“How are you doing? Are you worried about Jounouchi as well?” He got a nod in response. “He'll be okay, he's stubborn, I know this won't keep Jounouchi down at all!”  
  
_I know, but... he didn't deserve any of that, all he was trying to do was protect you and your classmates. I wish that I could help him, or at least... make it so that this never happened._  
  
“You can't change the past, Yami, no matter what you do. You just let it happen, and keep moving on towards better things in the future. You learn from things like this.”  
  
_You are wise beyond your years sometimes, Yugi._

He laughed at that. “I dunno, I'm just talking. I hope that Jounouchi will be okay, and I know he feels shitty about what happened earlier.” He rubbed his cheek. “But I don't blame him, he was just trying to protect me.”  
  
_Hopefully he will never have to do that again. I know it hurt him greatly emotionally to see you get hurt. I know it hurts me, I don't like you being hurt, Other Me, you're very important to me._  
  
Yugi blinked, blushing a bit. “Hehehe... that's sweet of you, you're important to me as well.”  
  
The spirit perked up at this, luckily Yugi couldn't see Yami in his puzzle, feeling so embarrassed and happy to hear that. He was important to his savior, this was something he has been wanting to know for so long...

 _Thank you.  
_  
“You're welcome. Well, I should go to bed, you should rest as well, we've had a long day.”  
  
_Right... try not to think too much about this, things are fixed now, your friend is safe._

Yugi smiled, laying down and covering himself with his blankets, starting to give into sleep. Yami quietly watched him before looking at the puzzle, before vanishing.  
  
TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, you might be wondering why Yami had mild control of Yugi earlier in the story. Apparently when I originally wrote this chapter back in 2009, I had this happen, and I figured that past me thought that when both Yugi and Yami felt the same feelings at the same time, they did a mild switch while the other stayed in control for the most part. Basically, Yami only changed his eye color and his voice, but Yugi noticed none of this in his emotional state.
> 
> From what I remember, it sort of came about from the Shadi duel, when Yugi and Yami both had the same emotional moment, when they overlapped.
> 
> Current me likes the idea of this also being a hint that their souls are becoming more and more connected. And yes, Jounouchi is sort of aware that there is something weird going on with Yugi, but he's not sure what it is.
> 
> Speaking of the Shadi arc...
> 
> Next chapter: An Egyptian exhibit has come to Domino City, but with this came the arrival of a mysterious, ancient man who owns two golden items, similar to Yugi's puzzle. Who is he? And what does he want with Yugi and the supposed other Yugi that dwells inside of his soul?
> 
> By the way, this is technically the last chapter I wrote for the original version of this story, and I feel kinda bad for not continuing it. But I like this version better and I don't plan on just dropping it any time soon.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Comment please, I'd love to know what you think!


	10. The Man from Egypt (part one)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied, I'm updating earlier than expected cause I finished my papers. 
> 
> Here's the first two part chapter in this story, since I really don't want to write all of Shadi's arc in one whole file, no, god no... there are way too many chapters in the manga.
> 
> Anyway, who is ready for some Ancient Egyptian stuff! I shall warn you now, I am happily putting my knowledge of Egyptian Gods and the Book of the Dead into this chapter because I am a fucking nerd who has spent twenty of his twenty five years studying this subject.
> 
> Okay, so this is based on the manga version, I was going to have Miho be more in this, but I really didn't want to go about watching the episodes for this arc, it's just easier to use the manga. Also, she's not that big of a character in this, she's like Hanasaki, she's a plot device for certain chapters, but she's friends with Yugi. I think I'm only going to use her as a plot device for the capsule monsters chapter, the popularity one, and maybe the digital pets one, but I'm thinking of just putting that in a set of stories in one chapter, like I did with chapter seven.
> 
> Sorry Miho, you're just not that important, but I do like some of the episodes you're in.
> 
> Warning: a guy dies in this, his soul gets viciously devoured by an Egyptian monster, you have been warned
> 
> On with the fic!

“An Egyptian exhibit?!”  
  
“Yup!” Yugi grinned at his friends. He had just told them of the article in the newspaper that Grandpa had shown him that morning. An Egyptian pharaoh's tomb was discovered a while ago and was going to be on display. “It's opening tomorrow at the Domino City Museum!”  
  
“That sounds interesting! Let's go!” Anzu smiled brightly.  
  
“The collect professor who discovered the pharaoh's tomb is my grandpa's friend, Professor Yoshimori. He invited us, so we can get in for free!”  
  
“Wow... that's the guy in the newspaper.”  
  
“Didn't they find a mummy?” Honda asked, making Jounouchi freak out. For such a tough guy, it was hilarious to know that he actually really hated scary things.

Anzu chuckled lightly. “Egypt is such a mystical place. That's where your puzzle's from, isn't it?” She asked Yugi, pointing at the pendant around his neck.  
  
Yugi nodded, looking at it. “Yup! My good ol' Millennium Puzzle!”  
  
She paled a bit, nervously mentioning that.. well... didn't his grandfather tell them that the archaeologists who found it all died mysterious deaths? This had Jounouchi freaking out more, asking Yugi if he was okay, was he cursed?!  
  
“Of course I'm not cursed!” Yugi laughed a little.

No, he knew he wasn't cursed, the only thing really strange about the puzzle was that a spirit protected it, and now lived in Yugi's shadow. Speaking of Yami...

When Grandpa showed this museum thing to Yugi, he had noticed that the spirit seemed very fascinated by this.

Over the years, Yugi hascome to realize that his secret friend always seemed interested in anything from Egypt that Grandpa had, or that Yugi was reading about. Maybe it was because of the puzzle? He didn't know. It was from Egypt after all, found in a pharaoh's tomb, and considering that Yami came from it, maybe it was enchanted?

Or... maybe it was cursed.

Ever since Yugi had built the puzzle, then fixed it again years later, there have been times where he lost his memories. Could that be a curse? Didn't really seem like a bad one... But, it's best to not tell anyone, he didn't want them to worry about him, or worse, take away the puzzle. He would be devastated if he lost the puzzle, he didn't want to lose it or Yami.

Yugi returned to the conversation when Anzu said they should all go and spend the day at the museum, it would be fun! Everyone happily agreed, Honda even asked Miho if she would like to go, which she happily agreed to.

–

The next day was Sunday and the group met up together outside of the museum, along with Grandpa. The old man glanced around. “My friend was suppose to meet us here... let's wait a bit longer!” He didn't want to go inside without him, that would be so rude.

As they waited, the kids chatted amongst themselves, including Jounouchi telling Yugi to not wear his school uniform on the weekend. Yugi told him it lets people know he's not a kid, he happily ignored the loud snort that came from his shadow. Oh shush, not everyone can stretch with light like you can.  
  
A man soon approached them, happily waving. “Mutou!” He called out, from how he knew who Grandpa was, this must be Yoshimori. And he was, as Grandpa introduced him to the group of students. Though... another, older man approached them as well.

“Who's this?” Grandpa asked.  
  
“Ah!” Yoshimori looked over at the man, smiling. “Yes! This is the owner of the museum. He provided the grant for the excavating and is sponsoring this exhibit.”  
  
The man smiled at them. “Kanekura is the name! Welcome to my museum!” He leaned in close to Yoshimori, whispering to him. “Yoshimori... ask them about that thing we talked about.”  
  
“Oh, s-sure... Mutou, you told me that your grandson solved the Millennium Puzzle...”  
  
Grandpa blinked. “Ho ho... I did tell you that, didn't I...” They all turned to Yugi, who felt rather uncomfortable with the stares.

“That's it!” Kanekura announced, looking way too excited to see the puzzle. “The legendary Millennium Puzzle! You must show it to me!”  
  
Yugi reluctantly removed the puzzle, much to Yami's quiet protests to keep the puzzle on. “T-This is wonderful!” Kanekura said, looking it over as he held the pendant in his hands. “Such an important piece of pharaonic history! And it's hanging around your neck!”  
  
Yoshimori chuckled. “Kanekura makes his living in the art business. He has an eye for antiquities.”  
  
The small boy was surprised by that, was the Millennium Puzzle really that valuable?

“Yugi! I beg you!” The museum owner said. “People have got to see this! Let me display it at the show!”  
  
“Whaa?!” Yugi gasped, no! He couldn't do that! He didn't like being away from the puzzle!

“Please!” He begged.  
  
Yugi frowned, thinking this over. 'What should I do? I can't let go of my treasure for that long...' Well, as long as it wasn't destroyed... maybe it was okay. “W-Well... how about just for one day?” He did feel a bit bad, would Yami get to see the exhibit without him? Maybe he can see some of it through the puzzle!  
  
“Oh! Sure! One day is plenty!” 'One day is plenty...'  
  
Yami didn't like the idea of this either, but... well... he had started putting more attachment between himself and Yugi, allowing for more of a bond so that he can keep a better eye on Yugi. He had noticed that he could sense Yugi better with every game he's played. Guess the more he played and controlled his magic, the better his connection with his other self got.

Maybe... in time, they could communicate better, maybe even look at one another where he is not a shadow?

–

“Wow!” Yugi gasped, grinning at the objects in the cases in front of him. There were so many ancient, beautiful items on display. Objects of stone and wood, gold and jewels, everything looked amazing!”  
  
“So all of this belongs to the person who dug it up?” Jounouchi asked the professor who laughed, shaking his head.  
  
“Wouldn't that be nice.” He started. “Until 1921, the excavator could keep up to half of the artifacts he found. But now they belong to the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. It's cultural property, illegal to sell, because it's so precious. The man who discovered the famous treasure of Tutankhamen didn't get to keep one piece of the artifacts he found.”  
  
“I see.” Yugi blinked. “I thought archaeologists were treasure hunters with dreams of hitting it big...”  
  
“Haha, no, that's just in the movies! Archaeology is one of the worst paid professions. But when after months and years of searching, you open the door to a piece of history that no one has seen before, there's an excitement that you can't begin to describe. That's what I'm in it for.”  
  
Yugi liked hearing that, it's good to know that there are people involved in such a position that they are more interested in the history than the fame and glory.

“Well excuse me for a minute, everyone!” Kanekura said, having been walking around with them. “I'm going to put the Millennium Puzzle on display!” He smiled before turning away, chuckling to himself. It will only be a matter of time before he could sell it, he'll make a fortune!

Yugi watched him walk off with his treasure, feeling really off. 'Somehow... I don't feel right without the puzzle...' He touched at his chest, only faintly feeling his other half's presence, he didn't even see him in his shadow right now...

“That's awesome, Yugi!” Jounouchi's voice caught the boy's attention. “Your treasure's gonna be famous!”  
  
“Hahaha... you think so?”  
  
“Let's take a picture in front of it later!” Anzu smiled, Miho happily agreeing.

“What a great idea! Miho would love to get a copy of it later!”  
  
“Sure, I'll see if I can get you all a copy of the picture!” The brunette smiled, chatting with the other girl as Yoshimori turned to Yugi.  
  
“Sorry, Yugi... I know you didn't want to lend it to him...” He started, but Yugi told him that it was alright, it was only for a day after all! “This expedition wouldn't have happened without Mr. Kanekura... I'm not in a position to complain, but he can be somewhat self-centered...”

They continued their tour around the museum, coming across a beautifully preserved papyrus sheet with drawings on it. The professor explained that this was an important scene from the Book of the Dead, also known as the Book of Coming Forth by Day, the Egyptian text given to the dead to allow them passage towards the afterlife to the Sehket-Aaru, the Field of Reeds, where the good souls of the dead go.

He told them that the image on display was that of the weighting of the heart ceremony, performed with some of the underworld gods. A person's heart was weighed on the scales against the Feather of Ma'at, his heart needed to be lighter than the feather, because if it was heavier, it would be devoured by Ammit, the devourer of the damned, a creature made of a crocodile, and hippo, and a lion. All of this was done under the watchful eyes of Osiris, Lord of the Underworld, Thoth, the God of Wisdom, and Anubis, God of the Dead.

After he finished explaining this, Yoshimori took them to see the mummy they had found, to which Jounouchi kept away from. Miho thought the mummy was cute, much to Honda's disagreement.

Yugi ignored his friends, curiously looking at the mummy, before noticing that someone seemed to be standing next to him. He looked up at a tall man, dressed in a white robe and turban, he seemed to be carrying... a scale?

'An Egyptian?' Yugi thought, a bit surprised to see him, when did he approach the case? He then saw that the other man was crying. He frowned, curious now. “Why are you crying?” He asked softly.

Soft, golden eyes looked down at him curiously. “These tears are not mine... this shriveled form... he has become a doll of dust... but still, he is the eternal pharaoh, his spirit lives on with his name.” He looked back at the mummy before them. “Even the eternal sleep is denied him, the cry of his soul becomes tears and flows down my cheeks...”  
  
The stranger turned, smiling softly at Yugi, before patting him on the head. “Heh, you're a nice little boy...” With that, he walked off. Yugi blushed deeply, god damnit! He's not a little boy! He's a high schooler!  
  
He pouted, walking over to Anzu to tell her of the encounter, but was interrupted by Jounouchi. “Hey look! Over there! Yugi's puzzle is on display!”  
  
And it was! Kanekura and another man were standing in front of a display case that had the puzzle on display inside of it. Yugi felt a bit better, seeing where the puzzle was now. He felt a small amount of joy from Yami when he approached the puzzle, at least he knew he still had a connection with it!  
  
Kanekura mumbled something to this man, something that Yugi didn't know. But what the two were talking about was the sale of the puzzle, and that this man was to meet Kanekura ten minutes before the museum closed.  
  
They walked away as the group happily approached, admiring the puzzle behind the glass. Yugi smiled proudly at it, seeing the shadow under it twitch a little, good, Yami was doing fine. He felt so much better being close to it, even if it was behind glass. As long as he was still in the same room, he felt fine about all of this.  
  
Anzu told the group to pose in front of it, she wanted to take pictures of them and the golden item.

Kanekura looked back at them, chuckling to himself. 'Hehehe... that puzzle's going to make me a bundle. Of course, I'll have to give Yugi some to shut him up...'

–

“Ah! That was fun!” Yugi cheered as he stepped outside of the museum. “I wish I could go to Egypt!”  
  
Grandpa chuckled a bit before turning to to his friend, thank him for letting them go to the museum and for giving them a tour of the exhibit.

“It's my pleasure!” Yoshimori smiled. “Why don't you come by my lab sometime, and I'll show you even more! Well, I have to get back to the university.” He said his good byes before departing.  
  
The rest of the group said theirs as well, and Yugi said he was going to stay behind, he had to wait for the museum to close so he could get his puzzle back. He didn't want to leave it overnight, who knew what could happen. He waved and said good bye to his grandfather and friends before he sat down, looking at his watch.

“4:30... Thirty minutes left...”  
  
–

The man you have come to judge is surprised to see you, as you expected.

“W-who the hell are you?!” He exclaims, but you are not affected by his screams. Why would you be?

You decide to answer his question in a much calmer tone that this man cannot seem to do. “My bloodline has guarded the tombs for over three thousand years. I am a servant of Anubis.”  
  
“A-A-Anubis?!”  
  
“Because of your greed, another tomb in the Valley of the Kings has be defiled. You have trespassed in the territory of the gods.” You explain. “For that, you will go on trial.”  
  
The man looks very unnerved by your words, spouting out nonsense of you being from the Egyptian government. He tries to explain that he does not sell antiquities on the black market. His words are meaningless to you, as you know that he is lying. He has sold sacred items to despicable men for profit more times than he will admit to you.

This trial will be over quick.

You set your Millennium Scales down on the desk. “You know the scene of the Final Judgment in the 125th chapter of what you call the Book of the Dead.” You remove the feather from your person. “This is the Scales of Truth.”  
  
The Final Judgment, the most important moment of one's trials through the afterlife. When the deeds of the deceased are weighed before Osiris, the Lord of the Underworld. One side of the scales is the feather Ma'at, the Goddess of Truth, on the other side is the heart of the deceased, representing their soul.  
  
If the sins are heavier than the feather, then the soul stops there, and becomes food for Ammit.

She will enjoy this man today, it has been a while since she's been fed such a greedy soul.  
  
_“We now begin the game. The Shadow Game.”_  
  
“On this side of the scales I place the Feather of Ma'at.” You take the feather, setting it down on the side of the scales where it is a bit higher, allowing for the scales to be perfectly even. It is now ready to judge this man. “As you can see, the scales are now balanced... I will now ask you several questions. If you do not tell the truth, the other side will grow heavy... with the weight of your crimes. If that side of the scales should touch the ground... the Penalty Game of Death awaits you.”  
  
He gasps, shocked by your words. “Penalty Game?!”

You begin. “Then the first question... a young girl falls into a deep well. You are the only one to see it happen. However, at your feet lies the golden ring the girl was wearing... what do you do?”  
  
“I save her! I save the girl!”  
  
You are not surprised to see the 'empty' side of the scale dip down a little.

The scale always reveals the truth of those judged by it.

“Next question...”

–

Yugi sighed, glancing at his watch. It read that it was now 4:55. “Alright! The museum is about to close! Time to get my puzzle back!”

He stood up and went inside, going to go find Kanekura and the Millennium Puzzle.

–

“W-why? I'm not lying!” The sinful man says as the scale drops even more. “How is the plate sinking without anything in it? This has to be some kind of trick! What the hell is a Penalty Game?!”  
  
“Very well...” You are getting tired of his complaining. “Before the last question, I will tell you about the Penalty Game. It awaits within your heart...”

You watch as this man begins to see what his punishment will be, the chair he sits in begins to form into the devourer of the damned, Ammit. She is very hungry, and cannot wait for him to become her next meal.

Which will be in just a moment.  
  
“This is Ammit.” You say, ignoring his screams. “The monster that has taken up residence in the room of your soul. Then the last question... have you defiled the territory of the gods and sold their treasure to fatten your own pockets?”  
  
“S-Stop! Stop! I'll pay anything! How much do you want!?”  
  
The plate drops to the table, hitting it.

As is expected.  
  
“There is no truth in the room of your soul. There is only greed. Therefore, you will be punished.”  
  
You watch as Ammit bites down on this man, he deserves this death, there will be no access to the Sehket-Aaru for the likes of him. _“Everyone has a room of the soul... my Millennium Key can open the door. The room of your soul is filled with the decaying scent of money and greed. Monsters like Ammit enjoy making their homes there. You will be eaten alive by the illusion born of your own crimes.”_ You say before you make your departure, but something has caught your eye.

On the desk is...

No!

It can't be...!

You pick up the golden object, and... yes, you can feel it, the energy coming from it... it is like your own items, but stronger than both of them!

The Millennium Puzzle!

And it is completed! Never in over three thousand years has it been solved! Does this mean that someone in this country has solved the unsolvable?!

You... you must find this person!

You make your leave, you have a mission to do, and you must make it quick.

Stepping through the halls of the museum, you are a bit surprised to find that kind boy from earlier in the day. He seems to be just as surprised to see you.

“Excuse me...” The boy speaks softly, nervous. “Have you seen Mr. Kanekura? He promised to return my puzzle... it's shaped like this.” He makes an upside down triangle with his fingers and... no... impossible!

This boy solved the Millennium Puzzle?!

He is the vessel of the knowledge of the Shadow Games?!

The one who solves the Millennium Puzzle gains great power... the same power as your bloodline! You have to make sure! You _must_ know if this boy has the power! And the Millennium Key will help you with that.

It must be in the room of his soul!

You raise the key, putting it to his head, twisting it to unlock his soul.

What you find is more shocking then anything you have seen in years.

There... there are two rooms in this soul! How is this possible?! Never in your years have you seen someone with two separate soul rooms!

The door on the left is open, you can see inside. It's bright, scattered with toys, it is pure, no thoughts of darkness. This boy is innocent.

But the other door...

It is cold, ancient, and a dark feeling is coming from it...

You watch as it opens slowly, how is it doing that on its own!?

When it opens completely, you stare at someone. It is the boy! But... no, this is not the same boy that you had spoken with. He is much different.

He wore golden ankhs on his wrists, his hair was much more wild, his eyes are a burning crimson that stare at you, the smile on his face gives off a sense of malice. The feeling you got from him is that of superiority, of an ancient being that you... you feel the need to show respect to him. You unconsciously put your left foot forward, as if presenting your heart to that of a pharaoh, or a god...

“ _Well, well... a visitor in my room...”_ His voice was deeper, a voice that could control others with the right words... _“Hehehe... come in... if you dare. A game awaits you!”_

You are nervous, and possibly fearful? This is a new feeling for you, who was this boy to have two rooms, two souls!?

He's watching you, smirking, he wants you to enter, to play a game.

Could this boy be the source of the shadow powers that the other boy gained from the puzzle?

“What's wrong?” He asks. “Are you afraid? Show some courage!”  
  
You frown, glaring at him, before stepping inside. You have visited the rooms of many people in the past, they have different decorations and furnishings, but always there is only one room! But... what is the other room in this boy's soul?

It is dark and cold...

Like the tomb of a pharaoh of ancient Egypt!

And your point is proven right as you see the images on the walls of what you can see in the room! Images of Egyptian art, of gods and scenes from the Book of Coming Forth by Day!

Who was this child...

“I don't know what power you used to find this place, but you better explain why you're here.” He frowns, you understand, you are not welcomed. You can see it in his eyes, he is worried about the other boy's well being.

“From your perspective,” You begin, “I am an unwanted guest... answer that question is the least I can do. I came to discover the secret of the power of your Millennium Puzzle.”

He seems a bit surprised by your words. “So you know of the existence of the Millennium Puzzle...”

“Yes, I know. Also that it is one of the Millennium Items. The story of the Millennium Items have been passed down from ancient Egypt... 3000 years ago in the Valley of the Kings. They were made to 'punish thieves who would defile the tombs of the pharaohs and steal their treasures' by the magicians who served the ancient pharaohs. So it is written in the Pert Em Hru...”

“So you came here with a Millennium Item?”  
  
You hold up your key, showing it to him. “The power of the Millennium Key! This key opens the door to one's soul. In the room of the soul, one discovers everything about a person... who they are, what they love, what they fear... even what they themselves do not know. And one more, the Millennium Scales. They weight the sins of people on trial. These are the two that I possess.”

He raises an eyebrow, waiting for you to continue. “But even I don't know the power of the Millennium Puzzle. I do not know what power is bestowed upon the person who completes it... because it has never been solved.”  
  
“And so to find out... you entered my soul?”  
  
“If I can see a person's room... I can see what kind of power they possess. That is what I came to discover. And if that power is needed, I will draw it into my bloodline.”  
  
There is a flash in his eyes, before he puts on a challenging expression. “This power you speak of does rest in my room. However... I can't let you see it that easily. You know the routine, this is a game! _A Shadow Game!_ ”

The boy smirks at you. “The rules of the game are simple. Somewhere within this soul is my true room... if you can find it, then you'll find what you seek.”  
  
You are not intimidated by his challenge. “I forgot to tell you about one other power that I have. When I enter the room of someone's soul, I can... 'redecorate' and control that person as well. I can even destroy their personality...”  
  
He is startled, and you sense that he has become protective, possibly of his other soul.

“I accept your game!” You announce. “And I will find the true room!”  
  
He chuckles softly. “Well... don't think it's that easily. This game is more dangerous than you know.”  
  
When the boy snaps his fingers, you see what he means.

Never in your life have you ever seen a soul room like this.

Doors, stairs, everywhere, in all directions and places, endless doors and stairs...

This boy's room is truly a labyrinth of the soul!

“ **Game Start!”**  
  
You... you don't know what to do, where to start, how does this boy have a soul like this!?  
  
“Well?” He speaks up, giving you a smug look. “What's wrong? The game won't start until you take the first step.” He watches you with judging eyes, waiting for you to make the first move. There are countless doors as far as the eye can see, but only one... leads to the true room!

All you can do now is open doors to see which one it could be.

This proves more difficult than you thought. The first door you open has a trap that almost crushes you!

You hear him chuckle at you from where he leans against a wall. “What's wrong? Do you give up? At this rate, you might get yourself in trouble. Good luck, I'll be waiting in the room.” He vanishes before your eyes, leaving you all alone.

You begin to walk around, opening doors, finding either traps that are real, or illusions. There are strange images behind some doors, others you do not open because you sense something bad behind them. There are doors that contain the memories of Penalty Games he had played in the past, but you do not bother with those either.

Which door could it be?

This boy's soul is so tightly closed against strangers... it seeks to confuse you, to keep you constantly guessing.

'But I have to know! I must know the secret of the Millennium Puzzle!'  
  
You open the nearest door, finding that the boy was inside, sitting on a small throne. There are more images in the room of ancient Egyptian art and writings. “Yo.” He greets you, smiling a little.  
  
Have... you finally made it to the true room?

You take a step inside, only for the floor to give out under you! No! Another trap! Quickly, you grab a hold of a brick, clinging for life. If you die in here, you will be trapped in this soul for eternity!

The boy approaches you, staring down at you with those burning, dark eyes. “Shall I push you in...?” He chuckles, before getting down on his knees, holding out a hand to you. “It's alright. My hand isn't a trap.” He is completely honest with you, taking your hand, helping you up...  
  
“I had never imagined that you would save me...” You frown, rising to your feet. “If indeed it is the same with you... I am in your debt.”  
  
He nods, but frowns. “I don't like your hobby of peeking into people's souls. You better leave right now.”  
  
“So I have lost this game...”  
  
He smiles a little. “No... this is just the beginning.”  
  
You turn, your back facing him as you look at the door you had just walked through. It has changed, looking like the door that leads into his soul room. “Yes... you're right... farewell...”  
  
You are back in the real world, the nicer boy is staring at you, confused and a bit concerned. “Are you alright?” He asks.

You are not alright, you have entered this boy's soul to test him... but you were the one who was tested! This is very unusual for you, you don't like it.  
  
“Are you okay?” He asks again. “You look pale! You closed your eyes and stopped moving...”  
  
“Yes...” You reply, standing up, as you had fallen to your knees before him. “I am alright.” You look down at him, smiling a bit. “You are a strange boy... oh, I almost forgot, if I'm not mistaken... this is yours...”  
  
You hand him the puzzle, he is so thrilled to see it, putting it back on. Even if you had not entered his soul, you know that this puzzle belongs only to him. “So that's it! You had it! Thank you!” He smiles gratefully at you.  
  
“You do not need to thank me. I am already in your debt.”  
  
“Huh?” He blinks. “Debt? Did I loan you something?”  
  
“It was the other you. The boy that looks like you.”  
  
“Wha?! The other me?!” He bursts out laughing at this. Does... does he not realize that another soul exists inside of him?!  
  
“No way! I'm me! I'm the only me there is!”  
  
“Boy... what's your name?”  
  
“I'm Yugi! Not boy, Yugi!”  
  
Two sides exist to this boy's personality, but he has not realized it yet...

When they join, the true power of the Millennium Puzzle will be awakened!

“Yugi...” You speak, “there is something you must do... you must discover your other self, of the darker you.”  
  
He is startled by your words, but you continue. “And you must solve the riddle of the true power of the Millennium Puzzle... the puzzle that was hidden for three thousand years. That is the destiny of the one who solves the puzzle, that is their duty.”  
  
You walk past him. “My name is Shadi. This is the first time I have ever told it to anyone is centuries...”

You continue to walk down the hall, informing him that there is one person you must put on trial, the other man who had defiled the territory of the gods, the Valley of the Kings.

–

_But something was about to happen... that would make me face Shadi again..._

–

You made it home after all of that, your mind heavy with thoughts about Shadi's words.

You know you call Yami 'Other Me', because he is your shadow, but... could he really be inside of you? As another part of you?

Was Yami living inside of your soul? You knew that you could feel one another's emotions, could sense things together. Yami communicates with only you, no one else knows he exists. You... sometimes wondered if he was real, or just an imaginary person you made up because of your child-like imagination and the story of the spirit your grandfather had told you when you first found the puzzle.

'Yami, are you real? Or are you just a figment of my imagination...?'

Then there was the other things Shadi spoke of. What were the secrets of the Millennium Puzzle? He knew that the powers of darkness were involved, at least from what Grandpa had said, but was that true? What was the puzzle anyway? He had no idea.

And who was the other man that Shadi was going to judge?

What is going on...?

“Ahg! It's making my head spin! I'm gonna stop thinking about it!” Yugi sighed, rubbing at his head, uhg, his head hurt!

His door was suddenly thrown open, his grandfather coming inside. “Yugi, this is terrible! Come look at the news!”  
  
TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I pulled a dick move and left it on a cliffhanger, sorry guys, but as I said, this is a two parter. Also, holy shit, this was super hard to write for some reason! Maybe because I went with two perspectives with this. I felt like it would be more interesting to write Shadi like that.
> 
> Also, yes, finally a reason for the title. Is the spirit of the puzzle a real person? Does he actually exist in this world, or is he just Yugi's imagination that be makes a 'reality' when he is playing shadow games?
> 
> Of course we know the answer to this, obviously, but Yugi doesn't know.
> 
> Next chapter: Shadi needs to finish what he came to Domino City for, and he decides to use people Yugi knows to allow him to meet the Other Yugi again. How much of an impact with Shadi have on Yugi and the spirit of the puzzle.
> 
> Please comment, I'd love to hear some feedback on this!


	11. The Man from Egypt (part two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is part two of the Shadi arc.
> 
> I really like the shadow games in this one, especially because Yami Yugi isn't the one doing them this time, it's someone else. I really wish the games stuck around a lot longer in the series, then it became about dueling and only a few of them were shadow games. Lame.
> 
> Anyway... but seriously, I'm gonna have to put a small pause in updates due to more papers having to be done for school. It's nearing the end of the semester, I'm swamped in essays and two projects. Wish me luck...
> 
> On with the fic!

The news reported that Mr. Kanekura, the owner of the Domino City Museum, was found dead in his office. The cause of death appeared to be a heart attack, induced by shock, but according to the coroner, there were reasons that it couldn't have been a natural death.

And so everyone wondered...

_'Is this the curse of the pharaoh's tomb?'_

This phrase was all over the news.

“It's depressing to think that someone we just met is dead...” Grandpa sighed softly, looking at the television screen as it continued to report about the mysterious death.

Yugi bit his lip, thinking about his thoughts from earlier, when he had wondered if he was... well... “Grandpa, do curses really exist?” He asked, really hoping a good answer to this.  
  
“Well... when Tutankhamen's tomb was opened in 1923, there were the same kinds of rumors... some of the discoverers died mysterious deaths. But now it's thought that the 'mummy's' curse' was just a sensation stirred up by the media of the time. No one knows the truth.”  
  
He looked at his grandson, frowning still. “But that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried because there was one more man involved in the excavation, professor Yoshimori!”

It clicked in Yugi's head, one more man... Shadi said he had to take care of one more man who had done harm to the Valley of the Kings! No, he couldn't have killed Kanekura... right?

“Anyway,” Grandpa continued, “Yoshimori would be the last person to believe in curses. But still, one of the people he worked with is dead! It must be hard for him! So, Yugi... I'm going to his lab at the university to try and cheer him up.”  
  
“Grandpa... can I come too?”  
  
“Oh! Of course you can! I'm sure he'd like that!” Grandpa nodded.

Yugi nodded, smiling a little, but his smile vanished as he thought to himself. 'There's something bothering me... the 'one more man' Shadi mentioned probably isn't Professor Yoshimori, but... I have this feeling that I have to go see him... somehow... something I feel in my heart is telling me to go...'

He glanced to his side, seeing his shadow shift a little, but keep quiet. Actually, Yami has been quiet all night, was something wrong? Did... something bother him at the museum? Maybe Shadi did something..? Shadi did say something about his other half, he had to be talking about Yami! And he had the puzzle on him, did Shadi met him through the puzzle?

Impossible, but... Shadi had those weird objects, they felt like the Millennium Puzzle, giving off the same sort of air, maybe... he did something with the puzzle with those objects? That scale and key?

Who knows...

 

–

As the two of them left the game shop, Yugi and Grandpa were a bit surprised to see Anzu and Jounouchi walking up to them. “We just saw the news about Kanekura.” Jounouchi said, Anzu saying it was such a shock, and they had just met him too!  
  
“We were coming to hook up with you and then go visit the professor!” The blond continued. “I bet he knows the details of the case!”  
  
“Shall we go together then?” Grandpa asked.

Yugi felt something inside of himself, a feeling of caution, of worry, these two should not go with them, something terrible is going to happen if they come with them...

“Anzu... Jounouchi... I think it would be better if you didn't go. I just have this feeling...”

“We're alright, Yugi!” Anzu smiled at him. “You're worried that Jounouchi's afraid of the curse, aren't you?”  
  
“Yeah! I'm not really scared!” Jounouchi laughed. “Professor Yoshimori showed us around the museum! We're worried about him like you are! He seems like a good guy!”  


Yugi smiled a little, feeling some of his tension ease up at his friends words. “Y-yeah... you're right! I'm sorry for acting weird!”

–

I have found him, the last one of the men, the criminal who defiled the territory of the gods, who profaned the Valley of the Kings...

By Anubis' will, I now put him on trial.

But before he is to die, I will unlock the room of his soul with my Millennium Key. Gods willing, I will find some shred of guilt...

I see... this is the room of his soul... the first thing that meets the eye are shelves full of books... all of them about archaeology. And artifacts excavated from ruins... his heart is cluttered with his obsession with the past. In one corner, covered with dust, a picture of his family... he has neglected them because of his obsession... he regrets it... but it's too late now.

The darkness of the room is proof of the anxiety and fear he is feeling... the museum owner's death must be the cause...

Oh... in the darkness is a glimmer of light, this is the light of hope...

I see... this man is waiting for his friends... that calms his heart and gives him a ray of hope...

Who is he awaiting...?

Ah! It... it's Yugi!

One of his friends coming to visit... is the boy who solved the Millennium Puzzle!

This has become interesting. Before I kill him, I may be able to use this man to draw out Yugi's hidden power! I will redecorate the room of the professor's soul... and turn him into a puppet!

_Marionette Design!_

The 'redecoration' is complete... this man is my puppet now.

Hehehe... and now, Yugi within Yugi... the second stage of our game begins!

–

“This is his room.” Grandpa said as they approached the door in the archaeology lab at Domino City college.  
  
“It's spooky...” Jounouchi mumbled, he really didn't want to be at a school at night!

“Jounouchi!” Anzu huffed. “You're going to make Professor Yoshimori even more depressed if you look like that!”  
  
“Anzu's right, Jounouchi.” Yugi mumbled. “The professor must be worried about what happened to Mr. Kanekura.”  
  
“Alright, I got it! Then let's put a big smile on it, huh?” Jounouchi grinned before he and Yugi opened the door, happily greeting the professor, along with Anzu and Grandpa joining in.

Yugi felt a horrible, cold shiver run up his spine. He isn't sure if that was him on his own, or if that was Yami.

Or both.

Either way, there was something very... off about Yoshimori. His eyes were... blank? Off center... his smile was creepy, there is something wrong with him.

“ **Thank you for coming! Come in... come in... come in... come in...”**

Yami, in the puzzle, kept himself pressed against the main door, seeing into the world through the shadow, witnessing Yoshimori stumbling towards Yugi and his friends as they spoke to him. Shit, shit, shit! This was bad, there was something wrong with him, especially with how he was smiling as he said that somebody had killed Kanekura!

_Yugi! Get out of there!_

“ **There is nothing wrong...”** Yoshimori spoke in that strange voice he had, answering Grandpa's question. **“I was waiting... waiting for Yugi... hehehe...”**

Without warning, the man lunged at Jounouchi, wrapping his hands around his throat, trying to strangle him. **“I want to see the other Yugi...”**  
  
Just as Yugi tried to pull the professor's hands off of his friend he felt someone staring at it. Behind him was...

“Shadi!” He exclaimed, seeing the calm, cold expression on the man's face, a chilling look in a room full of so much energy.  
  
“Please excuse my puppet's rudeness...” He said quietly among the chaos in the room.

Yugi stared at him, glaring. “Shadi! What did you do to Professor Yoshimori!?”  
  
“If my theory is correct... this will bring him out...” Shadi's eyes narrowed as he stared at Yugi. “This will bring out the Other Yugi! So show yourself!”

Shadi was doing all of this, controlling the professor, trying to kill Jounouchi, just to see if Yugi's other self will appear. He knew the other could control this boy's body, it made sense for someone with powers over the shadows to control the vessel that hosts his soul. So, possibly the best idea to bring him out is to attack his friends, push the boy as far as he must.

The kids and Grandpa could not get Yoshimori to let go of Jounouchi, his strength was too much! They had to act fast, Jounouchi was beginning to black out. Anzu glanced around, trying to figure something out, and she found something that could work...

“Professor... forgive me!” She screamed as she swung the globe she had grabbed, striking the mind controlled man in the face, knocking out a few of his teeth, and sending him to the floor. Luckily though, he released his grip so Jounouchi was safe.

Even Shadi was a bit surprised that Anzu's spontaneous plan actually worked.

Well... to a point, the zombie professor rose to his feet and moved to attack them again.

'Evidently, the professor isn't enough...' Shadi thought, looking at the other three in the room who were not Yugi or Yoshimori. 'I must enter the room of another person here... and turn them into a puppet as well!'

He moved, getting behind Anzu. She will make for a good puppet...

–

This is the room of her soul...

The walls are mirrors, like a dance studio... mirrors reflect one's own image. This is a symbol of confidence... or pride. This girl has strong beliefs. And dreams...

A photo on this chair... a man without a face? This means nothing to me...

Heh... this girl is easy to like, But the redecoration must proceed. I pity her... but I need to push this boy to his limit...

At least I won't make her into a pitiful puppet like the professor, I'll make her into a pretty doll without memories or a voice...

_Marionette Design!_

–

Yoshimori continued to chase them around the room, trying to go after Jounouchi once more, even knocking Grandpa out in his rage and desire to get at the blond.

Jounouchi decides that the best course of action was to get Yoshimori out of the room and away from everyone else. So he decided to be a distraction, getting the zombie professor out into the hall to chase him.

“Jounouchi!” Yugi yelled, watching the blond run down the hall with Yoshimori chasing after him once again.

“Yugi...” Shadi spoke up. “You have a good friend... he would save you by sacrificing himself...”

“Shadi!” The boy gasped, looking back at him, shocked to see Anzu standing in front of Shadi, the man held his Millennium Key up. The girl stood there, in a complete daze, her eyes foggy.

He felt a strong sense of fear and caution inside of himself, a mix of his and Yami's feelings. _“What did you do to Anzu?!”_ Yugi yelled, a flash of red in his eyes.

Yes, this is what Shadi wanted, just have to push him more...

“I redesigned the room of her soul. This girl is now a doll, and cannot speak or think. She is a puppet who cannot move without my will.”  
  
He continued when he saw the look on Yugi's face, a swirl of emotion in those eyes, that keep switching from orchid to crimson. “Now, young man! Let your blood burn with anger! Let your body shake with sorrow! And call him forth! The other Yugi!”

He stared down at Yugi, seeing the emotions still raging in Yugi's eyes, the color changing, the energy the boy gave off. The puzzle was working its powers on him, but Yugi was keeping the other Yugi restrained it seems.

We can't have this now... can we?

“Listen well, Yugi...” Shadi spoke softly, gently touching Anzu's hair. “These words will be the final trigger... If I order this girl to die...”  
  
He locked eyes with the boy. “She would die!”  
  
A flash, Yugi is gone, the other Yugi stands before him, looking almost as he did when they met in the puzzle.

And he was furious.  
  
_“Shadi!”_ He snarled, the look of rage and need for revenge was obvious in his eyes, the other Yugi was not going to let Shadi get away with any of his misdeeds.  
  
“So we finally meet in this world... Yugi within Yugi.” This only made the boy angrier. “Now that you're here, the time has come to finish our battle, in a Shadow Game.”

'Yugi' silently watched him, he seems a bit nervous at the words 'Shadow Game'. Has he never been in one that he hasn't started himself? Interesting...

“The last time we met, I searched the room of your soul, trying to determine your power. But you forced me out... this time I will try your power in the real world.”  
  
“Now that the shoe's on the other foot, I suppose I have no choice but to accept.” 'Yugi' frowned, giving in. He didn't know what Shadi was capable of, nor what he could even do as well.

Though... 'Yugi' had noticed that... there was something different between him and his other half after Shadi left their soul rooms. Maybe it was his magic lingering and mixing with the shadow magic in 'Yugi's' soul, but... the bond between the two souls that occupied this body seemed to have gotten stronger?

He had noticed he could open the door, and actually step into the hallway. He didn't even know there was a hallway until Shadi appeared. He knew of Yugi's room, being across from his own, he could sense it through his own door, but the hallway? This was an interesting addition. 

But he's not going to thank this mysterious man for showing him the hall just yet, he needed to punish him for what wrongs he has done. But... he had to make sure that Anzu was safe in all this, and Jounouchi, Grandpa, and the professor.

And most of all... his host must be protected, who knows what Shadi could do to him.

Shadi stared at 'Yugi', giving a nod. “Yes. If not, this girl will remain a doll forever. The game will begin in ten minutes on the roof. I will go on ahead and make the preparations. Come when the clock strikes eight. I'll be waiting on the roof.”

He walked past him with Anzu, leaving the other Yugi alone.

–

_Shadi... why is he so determined to test my powers?_

_Does his bloodline... whatever group he says he represents... want to use my power? Or do they want to eliminate it?_

_The power of the Millennium Puzzle, even I don't know its full extent! But it's there, somewhere inside me, hidden in the true room of my soul._

_It pulses quietly, waiting for the right time._

_However..._

_There's one thing I'm sure of, Shadi._

_The fact that you are my enemy._

_No matter what game you challenge me to, I must win! For everyone's sake!_

–

'Yugi' made his way to the room when the clock struck eight, and he was shocked to find Anzu up there, standing on a bridge that hung over the side of the roof that looked down that the courtyard below. She and the bridge were being kept up by several ropes, tied to four small objects on the chain link fence, the Millennium Key was also tied to a statue as well.

“Anzu!” 'Yugi' exclaimed, seeing his host's friend on a very dangerous perch.

Shadi smirked a little, liking how on the edge he already had the spirit. _“Then let's begin the game, the trial of the mind!”_

'Yugi' ignored him as he approached the fence, looking at the mindless girl. “Anzu! Shadi! How dare you put Anzu in danger! You're not going to use her in our game!”

“I am, Yugi. If you lose this game... it will mean the girl's death. Before I explain the rules, I want to say one thing about the Millennium Puzzle... I don't know how you got your hands on the puzzle, let alone how you managed to complete the puzzle that no one has been able to solve for three thousand years.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You seem to think it is a coincidence, but that is wrong... the Millennium Puzzle chose you! After waiting over three thousand years.”  
  
The small boy blinked, very confused and alarmed by his words. What was he getting at?

“My bloodline as well has been chosen to wield the power of the Millennium Items.”

'Yugi' cut him off. “I've heard enough. Don't you **dare** try to say we're some sort of allies! Shut up and start the game! Tell me the rules!” He hated this, he was getting worked up and the game had yet to start!

“Don't be afraid... Yugi.”

“Me?! Afraid..?!”  
  
“Somewhere in your heart, you are afraid of that power. You fear the unknown power of the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi, that is the weakness of your heart, the proof lies before you!” He looked at the fence, at one of the objects.

Looking over, 'Yugi' saw that one of the objects, an Egyptian statue, started to crack, before it exploded to pieces. The rope around it flew through the fence, the board that Anzu stood on wobbled at this.

“Anzu!” He screamed. “What in the world?! One of the statues broke on it's own?!”  
  
Shadi watched him carefully. “Yugi, didn't you realize the game has already started? The girl is standing on the Bridge of Life! It is supported by four ropes attached to four ushebti. The ushebti were buried to serve the pharaohs, their name means 'those who answer'. But these ushebti are the reflection of your heart.”

He glared deeply at him, a strange air surrounded Shadi. “Yugi! When you show the weakness of your heart... the ushebti will answer that weakness and break, one by one!”

A terrible feeling throbbed through 'Yugi', something he felt in both of his souls.

'No...! Other me, don't feel this! Stay strong!'

“And when the four ushebti that reflect your heart all shatter and fall...” Shadi spoke, “the girl will fall as well. Yugi, this is a game. Let me explain how you can win. The four ropes holding the Bridge of Life are strung through the ring of the Millennium Key. The Millennium Key is supported by an ushebti that reflects my own heart.

“In other words, if you can break my heart's ushebti before your heart's remaining three ushebti break... the Millennium Key will travel down the rope and reach the girl's hand. If a person who has been 'redecorated' touches the key, they return to normal. The girl's life will be saved, and I will lose. Do you see? The one whose heart shows weakness loses the game!”

'This is a game to determine each other's weaknesses!' 'Yugi''s breath hitched, this was going to be a difficult game. 'My heart is being weighted against Anzu's life...'

_“Let us begin!”_

The air around them shifted, changing, a feeling 'Yugi' knew well from his previous games, but this felt... different, the same, but different. Shadi played on a whole different level.

“Stage one!”

'Yugi' glanced down at the ground, hearing and seeing it crack and break as hands broke through. “W-what the?!” 'Yugi' yelped, suddenly being grabbed by the hands, watching mummies rise out of the holes, swarming him.

“Yugi!” Shadi called out. “This is the first stage of your heart's weighting! Answer my riddle! 'What creeps on the ground and clings to the pillars?' Then you know what surrounds you."

'Creeps on the ground and clings to the pillars?!' 'Yugi' thought, what in the world did that mean?! In his panic, one of his ushebti that remained began to crack. No! He had to calm down! But... but these hands, these living corpses...!

Shadi watched him quietly, seeing 'Yugi' thrash about, there was nothing there, but not to this boy. 'Yugi' was seeing an illusion, when weakness is show in one's heart, they will drown in this illusion. Shadow Games always show the weakness in one's heart, and they will lose because of it.

'Yugi', you were chosen by the puzzle, you have to know this, you live in the puzzle...

The only way to defeat the illusion is to hold your heart strong and answer the riddle, find the true nature of that illusion.

The boy felt the hands touching his face now, this felt so real, was it? How could he know? No, he knows this is an illusion, of course it is, he's done this before to other people, but... how can he break free? This was too real to him, his mind, his soul, both were too panicked, too stressed...

_No._

_Stop, think... don't rush, think of the question._

_That which creeps on the ground and clings to pillars..._

_What creeps on the ground are the zombie mummies, and the pillar they cling to is..._

_Think of it the other way around._

_Imagine a pillar standing... and coming off it, clinging to the ground..._

“I've got it!” 'Yugi' announced. “I know the answer! This illusion's true nature is my shadow!”

The zombies vanished around him, and he looked at the ground. His shadow... it was not his shadow, it was too different, no, this was his host's true shadow, 'Yugi' has no shadow, he is the shadow.

Was this illusion more than just a way to mess with his heart and make him worry? Was it a comment of what he is?

Shadi lightly chuckled. “Somehow you managed to clear the first stage. But I was just trying you out. The next stage is even harder! Can you keep your heart strong?” As like before, the ground began to crack and break into a large hole, a set of eyes stared at him, the smell of death was clear in the air.

–

Meanwhile, Jounouchi...

Was still running!

–

“Something down there... under the floor!” 'Yugi' gasped, watching it move closer to him, about to escape the hole. He turned, moving to get away, only to be grabbed by large, reptilian hands. The monster rose up, revealing to be the head of... “Ammit?!” How did he know what this creature was?! Well, either way, she was going to eat him apparently in this game!

“You cannot escape, Yugi.” Shadi spoke. “This is the second stage of our game. The Shadow Game... Concentration or Death. There is only one way to escape her clutches, by winning!”

“Urr...” 'Yugi' glared. 'First mummies, now Ammit!' “This has to be another of Shadi's illusions!”

“You are correct, though Ammit is not real... illusion or real, when you feel her teeth bite, you will die. And Ammit will consume your soul. Just so you know, her last meas was the soul of the museum owner, she is still ravenous...”  
  
“You killed Kanekura!” He knew it, damnit!

“Yugi, the only way you can survive is to clear this stage and dispel the illusion of Ammit. Allow me to explain the rules.”

Before the Other Yugi's feet appeared nine stone plates, all but the middle were sandstone in color, the middle was red.

Shadi watched the confusion on the boy's face, frowning. “Do you know the game 'concentration'? You spread out a deck of playing cards and attempt to turn over matching numbers, one pair at a time. Those stone plates, like cards, have pairs of pictures etched onto the reverse side.”  
  
“Hold on! There are nine plates!”

“That's right, there is on extra plate. In this version of the game, you must name the picture etched on that middle plate. You don't have to match the other pairs. If you can solve that puzzle, the illusion of Ammit will disappear, however, you are not allowed to turn over any of the plates!”  
  
“What?!” That's not fair! That's not how this game is played!

“There is also a time limit.” He continued, ignore the outburst. “You have five minutes, when the time is up, Ammit will close her jaws on your head. Let me tell you the key to the puzzle... those stone plates are a mirror of Ammit!”

'A mirror of the monster...?'

“Now, Yugi! Shake off your fear and solve this puzzle! What is the picture on the center plate!”

“ **Game Start!”**

'Yugi' gulped, staring at the plates. How can he figure this out?! He can't turn over any of the plates, there are an uneven amount of them, this game is all sorts of wrong! 'I don't know!' He thought. 'I can't think straight!'  
  
He heard a crack, seeing the ushebti that was cracking before becoming even more broken!

'Damnit! If I show any signs of weakness, the ushebti that support Anzu will shatter! There are only three left... Anzu, I'll save you if it costs me my life, I have to save you for him! I'll solve this puzzle no matter what!'

–

Meanwhile, back with Jounouchi, he had just been thrown through a window in his fight with the mind controlled professor Yoshimori. He clung for dear life to a curtain, but it was starting to become loose on the rod that supported it.

So, thinking quickly, he smacked himself against the wall as the curtain fell. Shit, that was close! He glanced up, gasping when he saw Anzu standing on a plank. Why was she up there?! What's going on!?

Oh fuck! The professor found him!

–

'Yugi' stared at the plates, trying to think this all over again. 'Run through everything again... nine stone plates in all, the one in the middle is the puzzle! What was Shadi's clue? These plates are a mirror of the monster...'

_A mirror!_

'A mirror reflects your face and form! And since this game is concentration... eight of the plates must hide four pairs of pictures, but the middle plate is left out!'

“Thirty seconds left!” Shadi yelled.

'If the stone plates are a mirror then they must show parts of the monster! What does the monster have two of and one of...?!'

Finally, it clicked in his head of what it was.

“There are two eyes! Nostrils! Ears! Hands!”  
  
“Five seconds left!”  
  
“And there is only one... That's it!”

“Four!”  
  
“I know the answer!”  
  
“Three!”  
  
“There's only one...”  
  
“Two!”  
  
_“Mouth!”_

The plates flipped over, showing that, yes, 'Yugi' was correct.

Just as the jaws began to close, the illusion of Ammit vanished around him, the scent of death was gone, and 'Yugi' was safe. For now, but he was sure the game was not over yet, not by that look in Shadi's golden eyes.

“Yugi...” Shadi began, “you have done well to beat the second game... but this is the final stage! This challenge will be much more difficult than the ones so far!"

'Yugi' narrowed his eyes, so this was the final stage, what was it going to be...

“You still have three of your heart's ushebti holding up the girl. But now your three ushebti will shatter!”  
  
'Damn, Shadi...' The other Yugi thought, feeling tense. 'He seems to confident, it's like he already knows all my weak points... but no matter what game he throws at me, I can't let my ushebti break!' But the only way to win and save Anzu is to break Shadi's ushebti, but how could he break it... does he even have a weakness?

As if reading his mind, Shadi replied. “You can search my heart for a weakness, but you do so in vain... my heart's ushebti is like unbreakable diamond. But your heart's ushebti are like alabaster, weak and easily broken! You will understand in the next game! Let me introduce your next opponent!”  
  
Behind 'Yugi', the shadows moved, taking another shape, that of... Jounouchi?!

No, the look in his eyes... that's a look 'Yugi' hasn't seen in ages, not since before their-

The illusion moved fast, ripping the puzzle right off of 'Yugi'. He chuckled, glaring down at him.

“That image of your friend is created from the memory in the other Yugi's heart.” Shadi said. “The 'friend' who bullied you in the past has been reborn before your eyes!'

_No, Jounouchi from the past?!_

'Other Me, please... don't listen to any of this, Yugi, don't feel what I feel...'  
  
“I caught a glimpse of those memories when I visited your souls. Even if you have forgotten, those painful memories will always remain in your heart, no matter how much time has passed. Yugi! In this final stage, you will play the Game of Death against your friend!”

“The Game of Death?!” The ground around them changed, a giant pit surrounded him and the fake Jounouchi on all sides, Shadi standing over by the fence.

“Let me explain the rules. You will take turns throwing the Millennium Puzzle like a die. For each throw, your opponent must move two squares in the direction the tip of the puzzle points. The first one to force his opponent into the pit wins.”  
  
'Yugi' felt a horrible twinge in his heart at these words. No, he can't play this game! He could never do something this horrible, illusion or not! He would never risk the life of his host and his friends! 'Yugi' looked at the illusion Jounouchi, maybe... this was a trick? Maybe the real Jounouchi is under Shadi's spell...? “Jounouchi! We don't have to play this game!”  
  
Suddenly, 'Jounouchi' was in his face, smirking. “This is your 'greatest treasure', Yugi? Watching you makes me sick! Only a girl would care about this!”

He felt a tremor inside, a horrible, heart breaking cry of pain sounded in his mind, his soul. Crimson became orchid, he felt the same pain in himself, but ten times worse from the boy in his soul!

_Jounouchi! No, you don't mean that! Please...!_

Two of the ushebti statues shattered in an instant, and Anzu stumbled as the Bridge of Life moved under her. She was safe, the last of 'Yugi's' ushebti remained.

'Jounouchi's words reminded my other self of the way things were in the past... that must be Shadi's intent, to shock the heart of my other half. That bastard, how dare he attack him like that, he is not involved in this game! This is between you and I, Shadi! You leave Yugi out of this!'

“You want this puzzle back? Then you got to beat me at this game.” The illusion spoke. “Fine, I'll go first.” He tossed the puzzle, demanding that 'Yugi' walk in the direction he tossed the puzzle in. The boy took two steps towards the edge. “It's your turn, Yugi!”  
  
'Yugi' shook his head. “I won't do it! I don't want to play this game with you, Jounouchi!”  
  
This actually surprised Shadi. 'The fool... will he jump into the pit on his own?!'  
  
“Then you pass?” 'Jounouchi' asked. “My turn again!” He threw the puzzle, telling him to move forward once more. 'Yugi' now stood at the very edge. “Last chance! Depending on how the puzzle lands, this time you might fall in the pit.”

“I pass!” 'Yugi' stated.

“Are you throwing the game?!” Shadi gasped. “Do you admit your defeat!?”  
  
He shook his head. “Defeat? You're wrong, Shadi! It's trust! I trust my friend!”

“You trust... hahaha! Yugi, it seems you are able to defeat your past! You lose! What I was testing in this final game was the weakness of your heart trusting too much!”  
  
'Yugi' just stared at him with those burning eyes.

“Trust is more easily broken then the ushebti! In the end, friendship is nothing but weak hearts clinging together for solace! True strength of heart is the ability to believe in yourself... to need no one! If you had sent your friend to the pit, you would have gained true strength...”

The mysterious man turned to his illusion. “Now, throw the puzzle for the last time! End the game!”

'Jounouchi' stood there, the illusion... it was vanishing! How was that possible!? What was causing this!?

“There is no past or present for friendship!” 'Yugi' smirked. “If you trust your friends, they will trust you!”

'Yugi' glanced over at Anzu, seeing that she was still there. But... NO! The last rope holding her up! It was starting to tear! If it snaps...!

There was a loud yell and the board shifted, staying upright. It was Jounouchi! He was holding up the Bridge of Life! “Anzu! I'm here! Everything is going to be okay!” He announced, filling 'Yugi' with relief and Shadi with shock.

'Impossible... it's as if they support each other... without hesitating for an instant...'

There was a crack, Shadi's ushebti was breaking! But how?!

“ _Shadi, you probably won't understand this, but...”_ The other Yugi spoke up, _“true strength of the heart can't be gained alone! The power to trust your friends! That is the **true** strength of the heart!”_

Shadi's ushebti shattered at this words.

The key was released and went down the remaining rope, going down towards Anzu and touching her hand.

Anzu blinked, a bit confused as to where she was. Until she looked down, then she dropped to her knees and screamed in total fear. What the hell!? Why was she up here?!

Jounouchi grunted, trying to keep the board up after the sudden shift in weight. “H-hey, Anzu! You're too heavy! Get up on the roof!”  
  
“Jounouchi? What are you doing there?”  
  
“Shut up! That's what I'd like to know!”  
  
“B-But I'm scared! I can't move! I'm gonna fall!”  
  
“Look you...!” Jounouchi growled, gasping when he saw the puppet professor climbing up closer to him, grabbing at him. “Anzu! Hurry up!”  
  
She nodded, trying to walk across the bridge. But the professor grabbed at Jounouchi, making his grip on the board loosen a little, Anzu losing her footing, and just as she was about to fall...

“Anzu!” 'Yugi' reached out, grabbing her hand, pulling her close to the fence, having her cling to it.  
  
Did... did Yugi sound different? Look different...?  
  
Jounouchi let out the breath he held as he saw that Anzu was safe. “Now to do something about this guy!” He yelled, looking at Yoshimori.  
  
“Jounouchi! Make the professor touch the ankh shaped key!”  
  
The blond looked up, seeing... Yugi?! Wait, no, was that Yugi?! He... he knew that voice! From the warehouse! Those eyes! No, it can't be...

“Is this it?” He asked, taking his mind off of 'Yugi' and to the key, having the professor touch it, which happily snaped him out of his weird spell. Though, when Yoshimori came to, he realized that a lot of his teeth were messing! What the hell?!  
  
Grandpa found everyone on the room, very confused as to what happened, but happy that everyone seemed to be in their right mind.  
  
'Yugi' turned away from his friends, looking at the mysterious man. “Yugi... you have passed all of the tests, it is my complete defeat. I used the Millennium Items to show you illusions, illusions summoned from the shadows... and yet, to me, the image of you and your friends trusting and helping each other, here in this world, seems like an illusion. Somehow that seems sad...”  
  
“Shadi,” The boy sighed, holding his puzzle up, “I've realized something about the power of the Millennium Puzzle... no matter how far apart we are, friends always come together as one! We are small pieces that bind together to become an undefeatable power! Just like a puzzle!”  
  
His next words sent a strong feeling into Shadi's very soul. _“The power of unity! That is the power of the Millennium Puzzle!”_  
  
Jounouchi and Anzu stepped close to their friend, looking just as determined and strong as the boy who dwells in the puzzle.

“Hey, you in the dress!” Jounouchi barked. “I don't know how you did all this, but this is our place! You better not come here anymore!”  
  
“Yes... that is true...” Shadi nodded, turning so his back faced them. “Yugi, you have passed my test, I have been beaten, but I am pleased. My bloodline have been searching for so long... for someone like you...”

'Yugi's' eyes widened at this, what does that mean?

“You may be able to open _that door..._ ”

With that, he walked off into the night, leaving the group on the roof.

“What the...?!” Jounouchi growled. “What is that jerk talking about?!”  
  
Anzu frowned, looking at Yugi's back, before looking at the boy next to her. “Hey... Jounouchi? Doesn't Yugi seem... a little different from normal?”

“Yeah! I saw that too!”  
  
“What does it mean...?”  
  
Jounouchi took the chance, carefully approaching his friend. “Hey! Yugi!” He watched as the boy turned, catching a glimpse of crimson eyes before he looked at the normal face of Yugi, orchid eyes staring at him in confusion.

“What's wrong, Jounouchi?” He asked, Anzu and Jounouchi nervously laughing, saying that nothing was wrong.

Were they crazy? Did they see him differently in all the chaos?

Well, the group found that everything was alright and they decided that the next course of action was to get food, a happy ending after all that!

**GAME OVER**

–

_Good bye, Yugi._

_We will meet again, someday..._

–

Yugi laid in bed, staring at his ceiling. He felt physically and emotionally exhausted, but mentally active.

He had blacked out in an instant, at those words of Anzu dying if she was told to die, but... he heard things, felt so much fear and stress. He heard Shadi's voice, speaking of games and illusions, of riddles and rules.

But he heard another voice, was it Yami? He... sort of sounded like him, it was hard to tell though, it sounded muffled.

During the events of this evening, he felt things, he reacted to the games, saw them happening, but they were so blurry, like he wasn't allowed to see things clearly, just yet. He had no idea what was going on, it was like a strange, fevered dream... or at the very least, a lucid dream.

Jounouchi's words though, he felt wide awake, saw everything clearly, heard every word as if it was whispered right into his ear. He felt his heart break at those words, he felt Yami's pain as well. Then it went back to being foggy, but the words were clear after that, he heard everything Shadi and Yami say. 

Yami, what happened?

'Did... did you control me? Were you me? What happened tonight on the roof?'

He didn't see him in his shadow, but he felt him deep in his heart, sleeping soundly. The spirit was exhausted, Yugi... was just going to let him sleep. He didn't want to question him about this, because he deserved his sleep, especially after saving Anzu, Jounouchi, and Yoshimori.

But in time... Yugi will have to talk to him about this, about... whatever it was that happened when he blacked out, and he will not let his other self ignore him like he had before. He has to know the truth, what is going on, Yugi had the right to know.

Didn't he?

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This... was a bitch to write. 
> 
> But yes, Shadi's arc is over, but we will see him again later, briefly in Duelist Kingdom, and then back for... Millennium World? I think? I don't remember, I'm missing the volumes after volume five for that arc.
> 
> Anyway this was hard to write, but now Yugi knows that Yami seems to be doing something with his body! But will Yami continue to dodge his questions? Probably, he might just pull some silly answer out of his ass or something, or, you know, that's what I'm gonna do. Also, Yugi oddly had mild control of his body when Yami was in control, I figured it was possible in this game due to the horrible stress put on Yami, he wasn't in control of the shadows, he didn't know what to do, and Yugi slipped through. Yami and Yugi's abilities work on emotional levels in this story apparently.
> 
> Next chapter: Digital pets are all the rage at Domino High, but one kid is ruining it for everyone else, who is gonna stop him? And who is this mysterious vigilante, running around at night, calling himself Zombire? And one of Yugi's duel monsters cards is taken from him by a nurse at the school, but she is more than she appears, who is she, and why is Kaiba involved?
> 
> Oh god, it's gonna be another three stories, but that last one might end up being its own chapter, we'll see how much I want to write for the next chapter.
> 
> Thank you for reading, please comment! I am always looking forward to feedback!


	12. Digital Pets/ An American Hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry about the wait!
> 
> It's the final weeks of the semester and since I'm a history major, a lot of my time is being taken up by readings and papers. Hahaha, never take three history classes and a language class in one semester.
> 
> So this chapter is gonna be just manga chapters this time, I was going to do the anime story, but I feel like that one would work better as its own chapter. I'm not exactly a big fan of the Zombire chapters, mainly because it's such... a weird story, but at the same time, we get to see a bit of early manga Yami Yugi again, after he set some kids' pants and shoes on fire. Also, I like the last panel, it's rather sweet.
> 
> I do love the digital pet chapter, that's a personal favorite. I was gonna go with the anime one, but... nah. That one isn't as interesting, even though Yami does appear in it.
> 
> On with the fic!

Yugi had decided to make it his personal mission to figure out what exactly happens when he passes out, and to know who it was that left those notes for him and his friends. He also wanted to see if he could find out what had happened during the whole Shadi thing. Was it a lucid dream? Had he been in control of himself, or was it someone else who did those things?

Was it really his other half? He didn't know for sure, but he felt... like it was. Could Yami really take over his body? He didn't know, but Yami was a spirit, one who lived in his shadow, something he could control and change.

Maybe...

No, he really needed to talk to the spirit about this, he had to know if he could do such things. But Yami was so weird, so secretive! He panicked anytime Yugi asked him about these things, shit, he got all weird whenever Yugi asked him about his past! Even some simple questions gets the shadow all skiddish, like right now, when Yugi asked him how he sleeps if he's a ghost when he heard a yawn come from his shadow.  
  
Yami shrugged. _I don't know, I just lay down on the floor next to my door and then I'm in a state of rest or something. I don't really sleep, but I feel restful when I 'wake up'._

“Your door?” Yugi inquired, raising an eyebrow.  
  
He watched his shadow tense up and move around, like it was pacing. _W-Well, it's... uhh... it's something in the puzzle with me, a door that lets me c-communicate with you in a way, and-_

He was cut off by a little, electric pinging sound.

“Oh! Time to feed him!” Yugi smiled, talking out a toy from his pocket. Saved by the weird ping, lucky break there, Yami.

Keychain games are really big at Domino High right now, and of course, Yugi jumped right onto this. Digital pets are the most popular of the games, they are basically simulation games where a person raises a creature on a miniature LCD screen.

Yugi had his own, who he's been taking care of happily. He asked Yami if he would like his own, but the other said that he was good, there wasn't much for him to do with a toy he really couldn't play with. Yugi offered to take care of it for him, but again, his other half declined.

He said he liked watching Yugi play with his own anyway, it was interesting, especially considering how the little pet looked.

Yugi toyed with his pet till he got to class, grinning when he saw his friends with their own pets. “Mornin' Yugi!” Jounouchi happily greeted. “How's your pet doing?”  
  
“He's in good shape!” Yugi replied. “How's yours, Jounouchi?”  
  
“He's cool!”

The boy smiled and showed his friends his pet. Anzu happily squealed, saying the little thing was cute! Yugi had to agree, his pet was really cute. He was round with points on the top of his head, and long arms with gloved hands. “Hahaha! It looks just like you, Yugi!” Jounouchi pointed out.  
  
“Hahaha, you think so?” Yugi asked, smiling. “I named him 'U2'!” His other half had actually came up with the name, but, well, Yugi can't tell them about him yet.

“It's strange.” He said, looking at his little toy. “Even though it's just a game, you really get attached to your digital pet. Show me your pet, Jounouchi!”  
  
“Sure! No problem!” Jounouchi grinned, showing Yugi his... uhh... it was an odd looking creature, just... it did kind of look like Jounouchi, so...

“It's so ugly!” Anzu exclaimed, while Honda told his friend that the pet has his bad attitude! Of course Jounouchi was pissed off about this, but Yugi just chuckled.

“They say you transfer your personality to your pet in the way you take care of it! So with thousands of creature types, you can have an infinite number of pets, all of them unique! That's what makes it so much fun!” Yugi explained, this really was an interesting concept for the game, you can get any sort of pet really! “Do you have a digital pet, Honda?” He asked the brunet next to him.  
  
Honda shook his head. “Naw, it's not my thing. I've got a dog at home though. I'm too busy taking care of real pets to have time for digital ones. But my dog just came into heat, she's been driving me nuts! Least you don't have to worry about that with digital pets.”  
  
“Actually, digital pets have the ability to mate too!” Yugi said, pointing to the small ports on the bottom of the games, saying that you connect this data port with another pet's and it allows for you to share your pets' personality data with each other! This allows for you to make an even more unique pet!

Jounouchi grinned at this idea. “Alright! Yugi! Let's you and I mate right now!”  
  
“Okay!”

“I didn't need to hear that...” Honda grumbled, wow, not what he expected today...

“Link up!” Yugi happily said, pushing his data port into his friend's before they set the toys on his desk. 'U2 is pretty quiet, I hope he gets some of Jounouchi's wild personality!'  
  
“Whoa... they're checking each other out...” Jounouchi said, watching their pets looking at one another from their screens before his pet moved towards Yugi's. Looks like his pet was gonna make the first move...

Everyone gasped and watched as Jounouchi's pet kicked U2!

“I'm ashamed of him!” Jounouchi winced.

“Maybe this was a bad idea...” Yugi frowned, sighing loudly, ignoring Yami's laughs about this. Yami, you laughing at ridiculous events in Yugi's life does not help!  
  
“He's just like you!” Anzu glared at the blond.

There was a little noise from Yugi's toy and they watched as U2 and Jounouchi's pet seemed to communicate, looks like they like one another! “That sound means the data exchange is complete!” Yugi said, watching the other pet move back to his own screen “After this, there should be some change in their development. They could get even more unique than before!”  
  
Jounouchi nodded before looking at his toy. 'You need to get some of U2's cuteness...!' He thought, pouting a bit.

Yugi smiled at U2, looking down at the screen. “Hehehe... what kind of data did you get from Jounouchi? Well, U2?”

U2 looked up at him, making a small beep noise. He stared up at the smiling boy from his screen, happily making noises at his master. But U2's joy ended when he realized that something terrible was coming! He made scared beeping sound, alerting Yugi that something was wrong. “Huh? He looks scared.”  
  
“Hey Yugi!” Someone exclaimed, approaching the smaller boy. “You wanna see my pet? My pet is special!”  
  
Yugi looked over, surprised to see the larger student. “Oh, Kujirada! You're raising a digital pet as well?”  
  
“Of course I am! But mine's different from your ordinary pets!”  
  
Jounouchi scoffed, approaching him. “Hey, Kujirada, what makes you think your pet's so special? What, is it a thoroughbred? Does it have papers?”  
  
Kujirada laughed a little. “Don't you know? There are 'hidden characters' in these digital pets!”  
  
This was a bit surprising, none of them had any idea about this! Yami listened quietly from his soul room, curious as to what that meant. Kujirada decided to continue. “The chances you'll get a hidden character are a million to one... they say they come from some kind of glitch or maybe even a computer virus. Nobody knows for sure. The way you discipline them, when you feed them, the owner's personality, when everything is just right, your pet turns into a special pet! And I have one of them!”  
  
“Wow, could you show it to us, Kujirada?” Yugi asked. The larger boy showed it to them and... wow, okay, this one is apparently way uglier than Jounouchi's! It was a large, fat creature with a black star on its stomach. Jounouchi snorted, asking how this thing was a special pet.  
  
“According to my secret info,” Kujirada explained, “the hidden characters always have a star in their graphics!” And this was true, the ugly creature had a star. “And one more thing, your pets don't live longer than twenty one days! But my pet have been alive for over two months! That's what I told you, this is the ultimate pet!”  
  
Anzu frowned at this. “Everyone's pet is special while they last. I don't think yours is so great just because it lives longer!”  
  
Yugi heard U2 beeping still, looking at his little friend. 'What's wrong with U2? He's been acting so scared...' He felt Yami's questioning feelings, and he tries to send back feelings of reassurance, that there wasn't a threat or anything, he was just a little worried about his poor pet.

-

The next day at school, Yugi was surprised to hear a loud yell from Jounouchi. “Ack! My data is gone!”  
  
“What's wrong, Jounouchi?” Yugi asked, feeling his shadow move about, alert by their friend's shout.  
  
“I just left the classroom for a moment and my pet disappeared!” He showed his smaller friend his screen, it was completely blank! Pushing the buttons on the toy did nothing, the pet was completely gone!

Across the room, Kujirada chuckled lightly to himself, looking at his pet. The creature grinned to itself, commenting out loud that it was surprised by how delicious other pets were! Last night, Kujirada discovered that his pet was sentient, it could talk, and it demanded pets as food. It was manipulative, it was controlling the poor student.  
  
**“Hmm, I just ate, but I'm hungry again! Better call my pet!”** The creature said, making a sharp sound to alert the boy.  
  
“Hey, Mazaki,” Kujirada said, “gimme your pet for a while...”  
  
“No way!” Anzu frowned, trying to keep her toy away from the other student, but he snatched it from her anyway. He connected the data ports and his pet looked at the tasty little peach from the other screen.  
  
“Hahaha! He ate her! He ate her!”  
  
“MY PEACHY!” Anzu screamed, alerting Yugi and his other half to what was happening. Kujirada's pet was the one destroying the pets?!  
  
“M... more?” Kujirada blinked, hearing that noise again, looks like it was still hungry! “Yugi, give me your pet too!” He snatched the digital pet from the smaller boy. “Rejoice! You will become part of the ultimate pet!”  
  
**“Keekeekee...! Another yummy looking pet!”** The creature grinned, seeing U2 when the data ports connected. Yugi watched in horror, feeling a bit dizzy as he stared at his little friend running for his life between the two screens.

“ _Run, U2! Run away!”_ He yelled, eyes flashing from purple to red.  
  
U2 kept running, freaking out over the monster that was trying to catch up to him. “It's no use!” The creature screamed. “I may look fat, but I'm fast on my feet!” It grabbed the poor creature, much to Yugi's horror.  
  
“U2...!” Yugi stared, no! His pet was done for...!

His eyes changed from orchid to crimson, he felt ready to pass out, but the feeling... went away? He stared at the toys on the desk, seeing his shadow touching his digital pet keychain, hearing a strange noise.  
  
“What is that... oh!” The noise! He knew that noise! “That's the sound when your pet grows and changes!”  
  
U2 was evolving?!  
  
The creature paused, watching his prey change before his eyes. The colors for U2 changed, he grew an extra spike on his head, and his arms changed a bit. U2 looked furious at the monster, who could sense great power from him...

And he proved that power by punching the monster, striking it hard enough to kill it. Yugi smiled brightly at this. “U2 transformed and blew him away! He must have incorporated the data he received from Jounouchi's pet!”  
  
Kujirada blinked, seeming to finally snap out of what sort of strange spell he was under. Too bad his pet is gone, oh well, it's for the best.

–

Yugi sat at his desk, his shadow on the surface with him as he looked at U2 happily eating the food he was just given. “All good things must come to an end...” Yugi mumbled.  
  
_What do you mean?_

“According to his programming, U2 will disappear tomorrow morning...”  
  
_You did a good job with him, Yugi. You made him happy, I do not know much about these pets, but as long as they lived full, happy lives, they will be okay in the end._

The boy smiled, looking at the spirit. “Yeah, you're right. I'm sure he thinks that too. Eat as much as you want, U2.” He said, looking at the little creature on the screen, who looked back up at him.

“Is it alright... if I watch you until morning? Bye, U2...”  
  
–

“This is so cool!” Jounouchi grinned as he, Anzu, and Yugi looked at the American comic that the latter held in his hands.  
  
“See! Isn't Zombire great?” Hanasaki smiled at the group. He had decided to bring a few of his comics from his collection to show to the few people he called his friends, he was happy to know they liked his comics!  
  
“Wow, Hanasaki!” Yugi smiled, looking at the comic he held. “I didn't know that you collected American comics!”  
  
“Yeah! Zombire is super popular in America! I've always liked American superheroes, Zombire is my favorite!”  
  
Anzu flipped through one of the comic books. “But why are American comics full of all these macho bodybuilder guys?”  
  
Hanasaki gasped at this, shocked to hear her question. “Zombire isn't a 'bodybuilder' guy! He was original the God of Death, but he learned how to love and started to fight evil! But... the more he turns good, the more the face hidden behind his mask rots away like a zombie. And every time, his life gets shorter! But he still fights evil! That's why he's the greatest hero ever! They call him... Zombire!”

He paused, blushing deeply after his little outburst. “Uh... sorry about that... I get all excited when I talk about Zombire...”  
  
“No! Just shows how much you like him!” Jounouchi smiled, trying to assure him that it was fine.

“At my family's store,” Yugi spoke up, “import Zombire action figures have been selling like hotcakes!”  
  
“Do you have garage kits too?” The blond asked.  
  
Hanasaki smiled at them, asking if they wanted to come to his house. The group happily agreed to come over. Yami listened quietly, it's nice to see that Hanasaki was on good terms with Yugi, especially after what happened a while ago at the karaoke bar. He hoped that Yugi would continue to be friends with this boy.

–

The group was shocked by Hanasaki's room when they arrived. Everywhere was Zombire merchandise! All over the shelves, the walls, desk, everywhere! There was Zombire all over the room, it was amazing! He really did like this hero, holy shit.

“Did you collect all of this, Hanasaki?” Yugi asked, looking around the room.  
  
“Actually, my father works in America.” Hanasaki replied. “Every time he comes back to Japan, he brings something for me.”  
  
Yugi smiled, holding up a still packaged figure. “This is really amazing! This is a rare gold variant figure! You can't get these in Japan!”

The door to the room opened and Hanasaki's mother stepped in, a tray of snacks in her hands. “Welcome everyone! Would you like some Zombire snacks? They're from America!” She smiled at the group. “This is the first time Tomoya has brought so many friends home! But before I forget, you have another surprise visitor, Tomoya!” She said as she handed over the tray.  
  
A figure moved behind Mrs. Hanasaki, and the face of Zombire was looking at them. “Bwahahaha! I'm Zombire!” He exclaimed, freaking the fuck out of Yugi and Jounouchi.  
  
“Hi Dad!” Hanasaki grinned.  
  
“Dad?!” Yugi and Jounouchi yelled at the same time.  
  
“When did you get home?” The boy asked, getting up to greet the stranger.  
  
“Oh, just now!” The man laughed, removing the mask that he wore, telling his son that this was a real make, the one he had been asking for.  
  
“This must have been expensive...”  
  
“That's okay, as long as you like it.” Mr. Hanasaki smiled at his son, giving it to him.  
  
Hanasaki looked so happy and excited as he left the room, asking everyone to enjoy the snacks, he'd be back in a moment.  
  
Jounouchi looked about the room before noticing something. “Whoa! A Zombire garage kit! He hasn't completed it yet!”  
  
“What's a garage kit?” Anzu asked and Yugi happily informed her of what they are.

They're plastic models of a character that you build yourself. Jounouchi said that he was gonna put the thing together for their friend! He opened the box, emptied out the pieces, and got right to work on building it. He explained how to build one as he worked on it carefully, and rather quickly. He does make a habit out of making these things after all.  
  
“It's finished!” He said proudly, showing everyone the figure. “Isn't it cool!?”  
  
There was suddenly a very loud scream that even started the spirit of the puzzle in his soul room. Yugi and his friends screamed when they saw Zombire at the door, who continued to scream. Turns out it was Hanasaki, dressed up as the comic character, and he was sobbing inside of the costume, asking why Jounouchi put the toy together, he wanted to keep it in the original box.

Jounouchi was startled over why he wasn't going to build it, Honda really didn't want to see Hanasaki cry in that costume, and Yugi told the kid that he looked really cool like that.  
  
–

“Thanks for having us over!”  
  
“Sorry about the kit, Hanasaki...”  
  
“It's okay! Actually, it looks better this way! You did a really good job!”  
  
Yugi smiled, waving at his friend and his parents. “Good bye!” As the group turned to leave, and Hanasaki and his mother went inside, his father remained behind.  
  
“Ah... ahem, excuse me, everyone?” He looked a bit distressed. “Please stay friends with Tomoya! I beg you...”  
  
Jounouchi and Yugi turned back, looking at him. “We'll always be his friends!” Yugi smiled.  
  
“What did you think?” The blond asked.

“Thank you...” Mr. Hanasaki sighed. “To be honest, Tomoya is... fragile. Because of my work, I haven't been able to spend as much time with him as I'd like... I was starting to think his only friends were those action figures...”  
  
“Don't worry, Mr. Hanasaki. He's not as fragile as you think he is!”  
  
Yugi nodded, smiling. “Later!”  
  
–

Yami sensed something was up that night while Yugi slept soundly in his bed. The shadowy figure looked out at the window, he wasn't sure what it was that he felt, but...

He wondered if it had something to do with Hanasaki.

He might need to keep an eye on him again...

-

As Yugi left school the next day, he was approached by a group of older men, who looked very suspicious. He felt Yami tense up inside of himself, oh dear, this might mean trouble...  
  
“Hey,” One of the guys started, “you from Domino High, right?”  
  
“You know somebody named Hanasaki?” The other asked.

Yugi frowned, feeling Yami's questioning feelings, wondering why they know Hanasaki, what do these guys want with him?

_They might be up to something, best to keep quiet, Yugi._

“Uh... who?” Yugi asked, trying to play innocent.

“You're lying! You do know him!”  
  
Hanasaki blinked, seeing Yugi being talked to by these two strangers. He knew who they were! He had attacked them the night before while he ran about as Zombire! 'I taught them a lesson yesterday, and they're still picking on people! Don't worry, Yugi! I'll protect you! This looks like a job for... Zombire!”  
  
Yugi felt a little dizzy as these two strangers kept him up against a wall, but the feel was gone when Hanasaki suddenly jumped in front of him. “Cut it out!” The other boy exclaimed, shocking Yugi.  
  
“Hey... he sounds like...” One of the men smirked.  
  
'Yeah, no mistake!' The other one thought. 'This is Hanasaki, the play hero from yesterday!'  
  
Hanasaki swallowed, trying to remain brave, though he felt nervous as he stared at the two punks. The one guy in a hat scoffed, turning away. “Hey, let's get out of here! We can't handle that guy!” This caught both his companion and Yugi by surprise.

Yugi and Hanasaki watched them walk off, much to Yugi's shock. 'They ran away when they saw him! What in the world?' Even Yami seemed as confused as his counterpart, but he thought that was rather impressive.

“Are you okay, Yugi?” Hanasaki asked, turning to him.  
  
“Yeah! That was incredible, Hanasaki!”  
  
“From now on, let me know if you have any problems with bullies! I'll take care of them for you!”  
  
“O-Okay.” Yugi blinked.

 _Hanasaki really seems confident..._ Yami spoke up, watching from where he stood behind Yugi. He still felt uneasy, but... he still wasn't sure what was going to happen. Should he keep an eye on Hanasaki though?

Hmm...

–

Later that night, Yugi happily worked on his Zombire garage kit, heh, Hanasaki really got him into the comic. “Alright! I've put him together!” Yugi grinned at the model, having just finished putting it together. “I just have to paint him, and then I'm done!”  
  
He picked up a can of spray paint and tried to use it, only to find that the can was empty! “Talk about bad luck! Just when I was almost done!”  
  
He sighed, pouting a bit, looking over at his moving shadow. _Why not just check in the store or storage, see if you have another can down there._ Yami suggested.

“Yeah, but we don't stock spray cans in our store... and everywhere else is closed now.” Yugi glanced at his clock, seeing that it was about seven at night. “Alright! I'll go to Hanasaki's and borrow a can of paint from him!” He stated, getting up from his chair, heading out of his room.  
  
The weird feeling Yami felt came back to him, shit, he might have to get involved in something tonight...

–

“Good evening! Is Hanasaki in?” Yugi asked the intercom to his friend's house. He frowned, waiting quietly outside of the door. But when he saw the door open... the look on Mr. Hanasaki's face, Yugi felt a horrible sense of cold dread run down his spine.

“T-Tomoya... is... Tomoya is...!” Mr. Hanasaki stammered out, holding up a crumbled up piece of paper.  
  
“What happened to Hanasaki?!”  
  
“I-I found this...” He handed the paper to the young man. “... In Tomoya's room... what should I do..?!”  
  
Yugi looked over the paper, eyes widening. It was a fake ransom note, saying that he had been kidnapped and that Hanasaki had to come get him! Yugi crumbled up the paper, feeling anger boil in him, the darkness coming back to him, orchid becoming crimson, a flash.  
  
_Hanasaki...! You did this for Yugi's sake!_

–

There was a sharp cry of pain as Hanasaki was struck, thrown to the ground at the location where he had been told to go to. It was a trick, Yugi was never kidnapped, these men who he had fought the other night had tricked him.

“Urhg...” He groaned, trying to get up. “B-But I thought I was strong...”  
  
“I'll let you in on something...” The leader of the punks spoke, “we were only acting last night. Your old man paid us to do it!”  
  
“!!!” This caught Hanasaki by surprise. “You're lying... you're lying!” He screamed as he got up, charging towards them.  
  
The leader sprayed him in the face with the can of spray paint he had, temporary blinding the boy, allowing him to be kicked without warning. “A little twerp like you could never be strong!” One of them said, laughing.  
  
“Uhh...” He groaned, trying to get up again.  
  
_“That's enough, you scum!”_  
  
The punks turned, seeing that someone had arrived. It was that Yugi brat from earlier in the day! What the hell is he doing here?  
  
“I'm the one who's going to play with you!” He yelled, looking ready to ruin someone's night.  
  
“What the-?! Another wanna-be hero?!”  
  
'Yugi' walked down the stairs to where everyone was on the platform, Mr. Hanasaki walking behind him, seeing his injured son on the ground. One of the guys glared at Yugi, frowning. “Oh, you wanna play, huh? This should be fun...”  
  
“Tomoya...” Mr. Hanasaki helped his son up, trying to get him away from the men while 'Yugi' watched them carefully.  
  
The leader looked at 'Yugi', smirking as he removed the cigarette from his mouth, flicking it away. “Think you can take on all three of us?”  
  
'Yugi' stared at the cigarette before picking up the abandoned can of spray paint, smirking. “Hehehehe... I think this will be fun.” He said with a challenging look on his face.  
  
“Huh, he's dissing us!” The group of three pulled knives they had on them out, ready to attack 'Yugi', but the boy ran away. He moved all around the platform, dodging their attacks, while oddly spraying the ground with his spray paint.  
  
This was pissing them off, the leader telling his comrades to circle around from the other side, they gotta corner him!

“Tomoya, are you alright?” Mr. Hanasaki asked, having gotten Hanasaki away from the platform.  
  
“Yeah... my eyes are just blurry...” The boy said before glancing back. He saw someone running around, wait... was that... 'Yugi?!'  
  
Yugi was fighting those guys?! He's fighting them... for him?!  
  
“Now's our chance, Tomoya...” His dad mumbled. “Let's get back to the house.”  
  
“...”  
  
“Come on! Tomoya!”  
  
Hanasaki removed his Zombire mask, frowning. “Dad! I won't run away! If I run away now, I'll never be strong!”  
  
Mr. Hanasaki was shocked to hear this. 'Tomoya...'  
  
'Yugi' came to a stop, looks like he really was cornered. “Haha! Got you cornered now... prepare yourself!” One of them said.  
  
The boy smirked, an evil glint in his eyes as he stared at them. “Hehehe! Fools! Do you think I was just running in circles? Look at the ground!”  
  
They looked down, surprised to see lines and spots all over the ground, in the form of a... maze? Made of spray paint? What the hell?  
  
“I wasn't 'tagging'.” 'Yugi' stated, smirking still. “Your cigarette butt is the fuse... to set the paint on fire!”  
  
Before the punks could react, the cigarette butt burned up enough to touch the paint and quickly set the fresh paint on fire, marking the whole maze. This set the men's pants and shoes on fire, burning them in their panic to get away from the flames.

“ _Welcome to my maze of fire!”_ 'Yugi' laughed in malicious delight. _“That's it! Run! Run to the end of the maze!”_

They freaked out, making it for the open gate of the platform. “Don't worry... if you get out of the maze, your lives will be spared...” He watched them jump into the water the platform was above as Hanasaki rushed over to him.  
  
“Yugi!” He yelled, catching 'Yugi's' attention. “I'm sorry... It's my fault... I'm such an idiot...”  
  
'Yugi' looked at him, smiling a little, putting a hand on his back. _“Tomoya, your dad was wrong... the true hero's face was hidden behind the mask... the face that got bruised defending your friend...”_  
  
“There's no way I could be a hero...”  
  
_“Of course you can...”_  
  
TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to write Hanasaki's scenes in his costume, but... this chapter was getting too long for me, sorry buddy.
> 
> Shocking, Yami didn't use magic in this one, outside of helping to protect U2. And Yugi seemed to be... somewhat okay with the blacking out, but we'll see how he feels about all of that later on in the story.
> 
> Next chapter: This is the one with the puppet master that Kaiba sends to fight Yugi.
> 
> Thanks for reading, please send feedback!
> 
> Actually, I really do need some feedback. I'm going to be doing the capsule monster chapter soon and I've decided to do both Miho's episode with it and the manga chapter with Mokuba in the same chapter, but both stories contain the same battle. I would like some help re-writing the battle for Miho, and if anyone would like to help me with that, please send me a message here or on my ygo tumblr (also riyuyami). I'll give you credit for help and I'll draw you something in exchange.


	13. The First of Four Masters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, another chapter based on a season zero episode. When I rewatched the series not too long ago, I completely forgot about this weird subplot. Honestly, I thought that with the first guy being a doll and puppet obsessed weirdo, I'd remember it, especially considering my other main fandom... but whatever. Kaiba is back, and he's being a big piss baby about Yami Yugi, but what else is new?
> 
> By the way, I'm gonna really limit the episode chapters, it's hard to find season zero episodes (I use to have them all downloaded, but my old computer crashed and died) and the site I use isn't the best in the world, too many ads. So yeah, I'm only going to go with a few episodes and leave the rest to the manga. 
> 
> Anyway, this is a bizarre chapter, but anyway, enjoy!
> 
> On with the fic!

He stood before his window, looking out at the city that he was slowly gaining an iron grip on. But that wasn't what had his attention, oh no, it was the person he saw in his mind's eye.

The Other Yugi, the darker side of the happy boy, those crimson eyes that burned brightly in his dreams, watching as he screamed in fear at the teeth and claws that tore him apart.

It all felt real to him, the dreams, the illusion.

What did this... Yami Yugi... do to him?

He had to know, he had to fight him again, but no, not him exactly... he had to test Yami Yugi first, see if this boy could be defeated, to see if he was worth all of his time, his pain!

“Other Yugi... I will send my people to you, they will come for you and you better be ready. Are you worthy of being my rival, no one defeats me... no one!”  
  
He glared at the window, turning away from it.

“It's time to call the Game Masters...”

Looks like he'll have to make a personal visit to the first of them, Baron Ridley Sheldon

\--

Yugi had decided that today seemed like a good day to bring his Duel Monsters cards with him to class, he had gotten back into playing after the whole Kaiba incident when his grandfather got a new shipment of cards in the shop. There were new packs, he was excited, he wanted to show his new deck to his friends and had asked them at school the day before if they would like to play with him.

“Yugi wins!” Jounouchi cheered, seeing his friend play the right card to take down Miho's cards.

“No...” Miho whined frowning at her loss.  
  
Yugi smiled brightly at this, alright, a victory! “I did it, I won!” He said, though Miho continued to pout over losing to him.

Jounouchi snorted. “You sure are cold when it comes to games.” It always surprised him when Yugi just up and wins at games, like they're nothing to him. This kid has some serious talent, must have been a war general or something in a past life to be that good at strategy and such.

“But... this is the first time I've won this game...” Yugi mumbled, okay, he was good at games, but he wasn't the best at Duel Monsters. Actually, if he wanted to be honest with himself, Yami's always been the one to help him with the game. The spirit had some sort of knack for the game, knowing which cards to play, and which combos to go for. Even when he played against Jounouchi a while back he had Yami whisper things to him

This really was the first time winning the game, at least on his own. The spirit was silently sleeping in the puzzle today, saying he just wanted to rest a bit and let Yugi have his fun, he's gotta play it on his own sometime, right?  
  
There was a sniffle and the group looked over at Miho, who was rubbing at her eyes. “Miho... also was playing this card game for the first time...”  
  
Now Yugi felt bad, his victory was short lived. “Why you, Yugi!” Honda exclaimed, startling the boy, making him fall right out of his chair. “You made Miho cry! You're not a man! I, beautification club member Honda Hiroto, will clean up your dirtied spirit!”

“Sorry...” Yugi mumbled, feeling guilty and embarrassed now.  
  
Anzu frowned, getting down next to her friend, helping him up. “Wait, Honda! It's not Yugi's fault. It's just a game.”  
  
Jounouchi smirked at the brunet. “Yup, yup, cool your head, janitor member!” This turned into a small argument between the two of them before Honda remembered that he wanted Yugi to apologize to Miho.

“There's no reason for him to apologize.” Anzu stated.

“Honda!” Miho cried, getting into the man's arms.  
  
“Miho...” He blushed before looking stern. “It's Yugi's fault still!”  
  
Yugi frowned, pouting a bit. What the heck did he even do?! It's just a game, who gets upset over a simple card game like that... “Sorry..” He apologized anyway, hoping this would get Honda to stop making him feel like shit. He got a flick on the head from Anzu, who told him not to apologize.

“But...” He started, stopping when he heard a chime over the intercom in the classroom.

“First year class B Mutou Yugi,” The voice from the intercom said, “First year class B Mutou Yugi, please come to the infirmary right now.”

–

Yugi wondered what he was needed at the infirmary for as he opened the door, stepping inside. He felt a stir from his spirit friend, the first bit of activity he's felt from him since before school. Other than that, Yami seemed quiet, patient.

“Excuse me... umm...” Yugi mumbled as he stepped inside, finding a nurse in there, sitting at her desk.

“Mutou Yugi, yes?” She asked.

He frowned, closing the door behind him as he approached the lady. “Uh, what did you need me for?”

She turned, smiling at him gently. “You're strong, aren't you, Yugi?”

That's the LAST thing that Yugi would say about himself! “Uhh... strong? What...?”  
  
She chuckled, holding up a deck of Duel Monsters cards. “I'm talking about card games.” Oh, well, that's a different story, he guessed. But, this was rather confusing. “I heard the rumors, Yugi.”  
  
He blushed, shaking his head. “No... I'm not that good.”

“Let me see your skills, okay?” She said, shuffling the deck in her hands.

Yugi had a bad feeling about this, but he really couldn't say no...

In a matter of minutes a field mat was set out on a small table and their decks were placed in position. The nurse allowed Yugi to go first, he felt a little uneasy, wanting to see if Yami could be of some help. No, no, he didn't want Yami to always help him with this game! He could master it on his own, just like with other games he's played!  
  
For his first turn, Yugi sets the card 'Rock Gun', a weak monster, down into the wasteland area of the field mat. This allows for a fifty percent increase in it's attack, letting it for from 100 to 150.  
  
“What a boring move.” The nurse said as she played her own card. She summoned 'Ghost', a 150 attack monster. She declared an attack and destroyed her own monster along with Yugi's.

The duel continued and Yugi felt a bit overwhelmed as he dueled, this was oddly more difficult then the duels he's done with his friends. But he was trying new cards, and the nurse seemed to have a deck with different cards as well. Plus, he wasn't use to playing with a field mat, it involved a lot of calculations and such, sort of a pain.

As the duel went on, the boy felt like he was on the ropes. Though he was confused with the nurse's next move, she played 'Aphrodite' on the field, but it was a 300 attack monster, not very strong. He played his 'Black Scorpion' card, of 800 attack, and moved to attack the goddess.

However... it seems the older woman had a trick up her sleeve. The Tsunami card she had on the field was combined with Aphrodite, allowing for her to destroy Yugi's scorpion.  
  
And with that... Yugi lost the duel.  
  
“You're amazing, sensei!” Yugi smiled, but blinked when he heard the bell. “Class as started. Okay, I have to go.” He moved to gather he deck up, but the nurse reached out, stopping him.  
  
She smiled at him. “As a reward for my victory... I'll take this card.”  
  
Yugi frowned, seeing that she had taken his 'Neon Knight' card from him. “No! Neon Knight is an important card...”

She just got up, telling him he's going to be late for class. “Challenge me again.” She told him. “If I lose, then I'll return it.”  
  
“Really? You're definitely going to return it, right?!” He asked before running out of the room, not wanting to be late.

The nurse stayed behind, chuckling to herself, before she spoke, her voice changing to that of a man. “You went to the trouble of summoning me from England to fight that amateur? Kaiba...”

From behind a divided area in the office, Kaiba stepped out. He had been observing the duel the whole time. “What is the meaning of this?” The nurse asked before she sank to the ground, an older, stockier man stepping out of hiding frowned. “It's like that boy has no comprehension of the game's tactics.” He frowned.

“That is not his true power.” Kaiba spoke. “He has another face.” He told the man before tossing a doll he had been holding at him.

Sheldon caught her, carefully checking her over. “Fiona!” He looked up at Kaiba, frowning. “What do you wish for?”

Kaiba glowered. “Mutou Yugi... he has a face of an unbeatable game master!” Yami Yugi, the other side of the boy who was just in here... he was the one who had to be challenged! Not Normal Yugi!

“I did not see that at all though.”

“Someday you will see. When that time comes, you will be needed as one of Kaiba Seto's proud Game Masters!”

He had to prove that the outcome of his and the Other Yugi's duel was not just a fluke, he had to see if this boy really was true to that face he wore, to that burning passion he saw in those crimson eyes.

Was this other side of Yugi worthy of being the rival he had been seeking for years? Was Yami Yugi worthy of what he had planned for him in due time?

–

“So, I have something to do...” Yugi mumbled as he looked at Anzu. It was after school and he really wanted to go do something, but...

“Wait, Yugi.” Anzu huffed. “You're not going to the game center again, are you?” Well, you can't get anything past Anzu, she is too smart.

“Eh, no!” He nervously grinned at her.

“Yugi, you put a lot of money into games.” Damnit, she knew him too well. “You're abusing your grandpa.”

“It's not the game center! Bye!” He said, hurrying off, not wanting to get a lecture today. He happily made his way towards the game center. Okay, so Anzu was right, but there was a new fighting game that was coming out today and he just had to play it! Oh man, he hoped he was the first one!

He made his way into the arcade, looking around for the new game, only to be approached by an employee. Yugi asked him about the new game and the employee smiled, gesturing to the right. “It's this way, you're first sir.” He said, walking with Yugi.

The man took Yugi through a hallway and then through a door, leading outside. Yugi frowned, wait... this wasn't...

_Yugi! It's a trap!_

“Just come already, Yugi!” The employee yelled, shoving Yugi into the open door of a limo. Yugi felt a surge of distress inside when he was thrown in, the edges of his vision becoming a bit shadowy as he was shoved into the seat, pinned down as the limo began to drive.  
  
“What are you doing?!” He yelled, glaring at the stranger, only to be shocked when he heard the laugh of the nurse from earlier.

“Yugi,” the voice said from the front passenger seat, where an old man sat, “let's continue our game.” The man, speaking in the nurse's voice, held up the Neon Knight card. “You want your Neon Knight card back, right?”

“It's one of the Game Masters, Baron Ridley Sheldon.” The employee smirked, his voice was different as well! Orchid flashed to crimson for a second when Yugi realized whose voice that was! He watched the employee grab at his face, removing it, only to reveal that it was a mask!

And the person in the mask was...

“ _Kaiba!”_ Yugi exclaimed.

“I will bring you to your knees in the Mansion of Dolls!” Kaiba laughed, smirking at the smaller boy. He had seen that quick look on Yugi's face, yes, the Other Yugi was still in him, he couldn't wait to draw him out...

“The Mansion of Dolls...?” What in the world could that mean?

Sheldon smirked, looking back at the two in the back of the limo. “Will you show me a Shadow Game?”

–

Yugi was dragged into a very unsettling room, full of all sorts of dolls and puppets, their glassy and/or hollow eyes stared at him as he was seated at a table set up for a game of Duel Monsters. “How creepy...” He mumbled before looking at Sheldon.

“Does something about this Mansion of Dolls displease you?” Sheldon asked, adjusting the doll that sat on his lap.

“All those eyes looking at me creeps me out.” The boy replied in honesty, this was a really disturbing place...

Kaiba smirked as he stood beside the Game Master. “They all want to see you fall to your knees in loss.” He laughed at the nasty glare that Yugi sent his way, still orchid eyes, but that would change in due time. “Hurry and pull your card. Begin the game!”

The old man had the first move. “I will use your card first.” He said as he set Neon Knight down onto the field.

“Starting off with that... Neon Knight's...” Yugi frowned, staring at his own card being used against him. “The attack power is too high...” It is an 1800 attack monster, a strong card for a first move.

“Now, show me your real power.” Sheldon said, looking smug. He wanted to see what this boy could really do.

Yugi winced, looking at his hand. “I can't... I can't beat Neon Knight...” He sighed, putting his Devil Dragon card down on the wasteland part of the mat, in defense position.

Sheldon glared. “You will regret playing so passively. Do you know why I left Neon Knight on the mountain? That's because on the Mountain field, the lightening will help him.”

Yugi's eyes widened as he gasped, the knight and the dragon! They... they both appeared in front of him, and Neon Knight made his attack, shocking Yugi's dragon. The blast of the attack sent the poor boy to the floor. He winced, his vision going black, but before he was out, there was a flash of gold in front of him.

The eye of the puzzle, it was glowing...! Just like when he had put the final piece in the two times he put the puzzle together...!

'Other Me...?'

And then he knew no more.

“I told you that you would regret it. This is the Mansion of Dolls!” Sheldon announced to the boy on the floor. “If you lose your life points, even if using defense, a fight is a fight! Yugi, if you're going to be in a fight, then come at me!”

“ _That's true...”_

Kaiba perked up, that voice, the voice he heard in his dreams, among the monsters and beasts!

He's here!

He watched the Other Yugi stand up, the eye glowing on his forehead as he looked over at them with those burning eyes. Sheldon gasped, staring at the boy, this... this is the Yami Yugi Kaiba spoke of?!

“ _How idiotic,”_ the darker Yugi spoke, _“being protective and getting hurt. It's my turn.”_ He smirked.

The brunet watched 'Yugi' return to his seat, now the dueling could be worth watching.  
  
The smirk stayed on the other Yugi's face as he made his move. “I will attack you... Baron Sheldon.”

Sheldon felt like liquid ice just ran down his spine as he looked into those eyes of this boy. Was... was he really the same person he had dueled earlier? That he was just dueling minutes ago? There was something about him that seemed so...

“Death Wolf attacks on the forest field.” 'Yugi' spoke, looking confident in his moves, completely different from how he was earlier. He set the card down on the field, the beast rose from the card, hollowing loudly.

“Plus, one more card. A shadow.” He said as he placed another card down on the field.

“Planning to fight Neon Knight using the dark sword?” Sheldon asked. “I think that is most reckless.” This didn't seem to bother the Other Yugi at all, he only looked more determine.

“Really?” The boy asked.

This pissed Sheldon off, he felt like he was being mocked by this child! “I wonder how long that front of yours will last.” He decided to summon 'King Beetle' in attack mode, a 1400 attack monster going against a 1200 attack one. Sheldon ordered an attack, watching as King Beetle blasted flames at Death Wolf, who dodged the attacks.

It seems that the card that 'Yugi' had played before, Shadowman, had turned the whole field into darkness. The boy looked even more confident, more challenging, Sheldon realized that turning the whole field into darkness played right into 'Yugi's' hands, this appeared to be... his element.

This addition to the field mat allowed for a powerful in Death Wolf's attack, enough to take down the Neon Knight, a monster who is weak in the darkness. Yami is a powerful field spell card it seems.

Sheldon growled, ordering his King Beetle to attack once more, into the darkness that Death Wolf had ran into. “Heh... how pathetic.” Yami Yugi commented, watching his wolf come back and attack the horn of the beetle, which seemed to give the wolf some trouble.

'Yugi' frowned, watching the struggle. “What?! Cut the horn!” He commanded, what was going on? It should have destroyed the beetle by now, it is the stronger monster!

Death Wolf finally bit down hard enough, breaking King Beetle's horn, causing it to erupt into flames. They felt so real, this illusion was strong, it knocked Sheldon back.

Yami Yugi chuckled. “You let your guard down, Baron Sheldon. I win.”

“Damn you!” Sheldon glared, before looking down at the doll in his arms. “You okay, Fiona?” Both of them were surprised to see scorch marks on the doll. “Unforgivable!”

The boy only smirked, holding up his cards. “Now... your turn.”  
  
Kaiba huffed, looking down at the Game Master. “Hurry and continue the game, Sheldon!” He ordered.

  
Sheldon nodded, making his next move. “'Gargoyle'! On the mountain field! Try avoiding his tornado attack!” He said as a large gust of wind came from the monster, blowing at 'Yugi's' face and his side of the field.

The other duelist glared, setting a card down on the field. “Come forward, 'Knight Soldier'!”

Knight Solider blocks the attack and does in for the kill against the Gargoyle. “Knight Soldier with his sword has an advantage to those who fling themselves at him.” 'Yugi' stated, watching the two monsters fight one another.

He stared, a bit surprised when the monster seemed to take the sword's attacks with stride, not being damaged at all! The sword doesn't work, what's going on?!

Gargoyle attacked, slicing the knight to pieces before the Other Yugi's very eyes. But how was this possible, what in the world happened! Actually... now that he thought about, this same thing happened with King Beetle earlier, he had trouble destroying that monster as well...

“Hehehe... your turn, Yugi.” Sheldon spoke up, smirking at the boy. “Now... look, Fiona, at him begging on his knees.”

'Creepy Bisque doll...' 'Yugi' thought as he looked at the doll in front of him.

Wait.

It finally clicked in his head!

'I see... so that's it! This is a Mansion of Dolls! All the monsters he controls are dolls! This is Doll field!'

“Hurry up, Yugi!” Sheldon huffed, getting annoyed with how long it was taking for his opponent to make his move.

“I attack!” 'Yugi' cried, playing a card that increased his Death Wolf's abilities. The wolf howled loudly, causing a destructive shock wave.

“How cheeky. Burn everything away, 'Salamandra'!” Sheldon shouted, throwing down a monster card to attack Death Wolf.

Yami Yugi smirked, looking at the field. _“It's not use. A doll monster cannot will against a destructive wave. Just fall into pieces!”_

Death Wolf's howls rang through the air, causing Sheldon's two monsters to be destroyed by the attack.

“ _I win.”_ The boy said, amused as he watched Sheldon stare at his shattering monster dolls, completely defeated.

**GAME OVER.**

–

One Game Master has been defeated, but he had three more that would make themselves known.

–

Okay, that's it, tonight is the night they are going to talk!

Especially after today, after seeing the flash, feeling the change, before his was sunken into the darkness he was, sadly, becoming use to. Yugi sat himself down on his bed, setting the puzzle in front of him before he cleared his throat.  
  
“Other me.” Yugi said, looking at the figure on the wall in front of him.  
  
 _Yes?_

“We need to talk.”  
 _  
… About what?_

“Don't act like you don't know. Are you possessing my body?” Yugi glared, seeing the shadow move a bit, seeming nervous. “And don't hide in the puzzle, we need to discuss this, now! I know you did something today, I know you're involved with my blackouts. Just tell me what is going on.”

Yami was quiet before there was a deep sigh from the spirit. _I guess you deserve to know, I've been quiet about it because I didn't know when was the right time to tell you. But... yes, I do possess your body, but I don't do it like spirits do in those terrible horror movies you watch._

“What do you do when you control me?” Yugi asked, suspicious. “Can do you even take control of me willingly? Or is it random? Based on emotions? You tend to knock me out when something stressful happens.”

_I take control... and play games, against people who have done you and your friends' wrong. But I make sure to keep you and them safe! I would never risk your safety in a game! And yes, I take control of you willingly, but only when I sense that the time is right. I do not like being in control of you when there is no need for me to help. But sometimes I slip up, I have had a small bit of influence on you when you are in control._

Yugi shifted, frowning. “Example?”

_When Jounouchi was with that gang, when you first saw him. I suppose we both had an emotional reaction that was the same and we both had control, but I only used your voice and eyes, I think. You did the same thing during the event with Shadi, you were in control for a moment... I wish you had not seen and heard that illusion of Jounouchi from your past..._

“Other me... these games you play, how dangerous are they? I-I know that Kaiba hates me because of... because of something you did? And Ushio doesn't bother me anymore, that senior student, the one with the grill, he was put in the hospital... and my teacher, did you play games with them?”

_Yes._

“What did you do to them?”

…

“Tell me!”

_Penalty Games. Many go under illusions that will break when they learn their lessons, but my magic... the Shadow Magic, it comes from the puzzle, it's been quiet, dormant, for too long, it's not up to par I suppose. Some games I can't use illusions for, or I can't use too much magic, I can't punish everyone, but sometimes they punish themselves. Yugi, I'm sorry, the look on your face..._

Yami went quiet, that stare he was getting from his host, it hurt him, made his heart ache. He saw worry, fear... Yugi feared him, this was not what he wanted.

_All I want to do is protect you, you saved me, I want to do the same._

“... No more lies, okay? I don't know what happens to me when you take over,”

_You sleep, like I do a lot of when you're in control._

“Where do I sleep?”

_You have a special room in your soul, that is meant to represent you. This is where you sleep. Mine is connected to the puzzle, I sleep there._

“Right, well, I don't know what you do when you take over, but just... be careful, okay? Looks like you made an enemy out of Kaiba, and I don't like that. Be more careful, this is my body, you're only borrowing it.”

Those words stung, but the spirit knew that Yugi was right.

“You can continue to protect me, if that is what you wish, but be careful, and we can't let the others know. I don't want them freaking out, I don't want them trying to send me to a priest or something. I'm not happy with you right now for lying to me for so long, but you're still my best friend, Yami. You mean the world to me.”

Yugi looked at his shadow, seeing it nod. _And you mean the world to me as well, Yugi. But I promise to be careful, I'll try not to overstay my welcome in you. But I'd rather you not see what goes on with these games, I like to... take care of my business in private._

“Understandable.” Yugi sighed, leaning back a bit. “Thank you, though, for the notes, telling me that you helped me and my friends. I know you helped Hanasaki the other night, thank you. Does he... know about you?”

_He didn't ask, no one seems to realize that I'm different from you too much. They just think I'm you, only... slightly different, I suppose, more game faced. Kaiba is the only one to address me as Other Yugi, or Yami Yugi, it seems. He doesn't seem to have any sort of problem with you, it's me he wants._

“Well be careful!” Yugi exclaimed. “He seemed like a beast back there, wanting you so bad! Don't let him hurt you!”

Yami quietly stared, nodding. _I promise, Yugi._

“Good.” He sighed, turning off the lamp next to his bed before he laid down. “I don't know what to think about all of this stuff, Yami. But at least... if you want to control my body, give me a warning or something? The dizzy spells get a little annoying, just... I don't know, say something, my name? When you move to take over.”

_Are you sure you're okay with this? I'll stop._

“No,” He huffed, looking at the ceiling, “you keep my friends safe, you keep me safe. As long as you don't do something to harm them, then you're fine. Just no... life or death things.”

_Easier said than done, Other Me. A lot of them want to fight me and bring harm._

“Then you harm them back. Just no killing.” With that, Yugi turned to face the other wall and go to sleep, but... he did speak up again. “If you... want to have control of my body to just... I don't know, spend the day doing something that isn't being a hero, maybe for fun, to enjoy yourself... you can ask.”

The spirit stayed quiet, moving into the puzzle.

No, as much as he'd love to do that, he didn't want to abuse Yugi's good nature, damage his trust. He wanted to only appear when he was needed, this wasn't just fun and games, he didn't deserve to control Yugi for his own selfish needs, only to protect.

But... he'd hold onto the offer anyway, maybe one day he'd like to have... a bit of fun?

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Yugi FINALLY got to speak to Yami about the whole body control thing, but there's obviously some questions and answers not spoken here. Yugi understands that Yami is doing this under good intentions, but I don't blame Yugi for being a little weary and uncomfortable with everything. This seems like something that should have been addressed from the start.
> 
> Obviously Yugi will end up being okay with it in the future, but right now? Ehh... not so much.
> 
> Next chapter: There's a prophet at school who seems to always be right on his predictions, but Yugi knows that something isn't right about this.
> 
> I was gonna do more for chapter 14, but I'm gonna try to post shorter chapters during these last few weeks of school, so sorry about that. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, please send feedback!


	14. The False Prophet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, I've been busy with school still and stress is kicking my ass.
> 
> Well, this is gonna be a short chapter, but that's alright, I'm sure I'll have something good for you guys soon. So for now, filler.
> 
> Speaking of filler, I'm working on a mini fic AU for this story based on the DOMA arc and Yami's issues with his guilt over having done what he did when he played the Orichalcos card. It's not going to be involved with the actual story, but it's just a little side story that is its own AU for this series. Also, Yugi and Yami will already be in a relationship, so there's that. I'm not sure when I'll have it out, but it might be soon, we'll see.
> 
> EDIT: It's posted, it's called Wherever You Are. 
> 
> Warning: Some dude is really creepy about Anzu, and Yugi almost dies, but this is YuGiOh, that happens a lot more than it should.
> 
> On with the fic!

“Owowowow...” Jounouchi pouted, rubbing his swollen cheek. “Damn, my luck is so bad lately!”  
  
“What happened to your face, Jounouchi?” Yugi asked, looking up at his friend as they walked to school.  
  
The other smiled a little at him. “Well... I got into a fight with some punks yesterday... took one to the face.” Then he smirked, looking so proud. “But I clobbered the other four guys! Man, that felt good!”  
  
“What?! Other four?!” Yugi exclaimed, a bit shocked.

 _Against four guys, getting hit once is lucky..._ Yugi heard Yami comment, sounding very amused and proud, though Jounouchi was mad, saying he should never get hurt!

Out of nowhere, something big and metal landed just inches from their feet, scaring the ever loving shit out of the three of them. They looked up, seeing a repairman on a power line pole. Turns out the thing that fell was a piece of the power line, and it had almost crushed them.

“More bad luck!” The blond exclaimed, horrified. Yugi felt like his heart had just jumped out of his chest, if they weren't careful, this could end up being a long, _long_ day...

–

It felt almost ironic that on a day of bad luck, the big talk in class was about a psychic who could see into the future being in their school.

Obviously, this was surprising to Yugi and Jounouchi, the latter shouting this loudly.

“Uh huh!” Anzu nodded. “He's in class A, his name is Kokurano. They say he can see the future. His predictions are really accurate. You've seen all the girls disappearing at recess, right? They go to get their fortunes told.”  
  
She smiled, giving a little shrug. “Anyway, I'm not into that stuff, but-”  
  
“Right on!” Jounouchi grinned, cutting Anzu off. “I gotta get my fortune told!”  
  
He grabbed Yugi and Anzu's hands, dragging them out of the room and into the hall. “Let's go! Yugi! Anzu!”  
  
“Uuh... But I...!”  
  
“Hold on!”

They found class A's room and Yugi blinked, seeing the long line of girls in the room, leading up to a elaboratly decorated spot in the back of the class. “Wow! Look at all the people!”

Yami shifted under him. _Everyone wants to know their fortune, seems like a waste of time to me._

“You don't trust this, Other Me?” Yugi mumbled quietly.

_Fortune telling is full of con artists, you can't really trust these people._

“Luckily for you, I don't trust this stuff anyway...”

Jounouchi frowned, looking around the room. 'Damn... all these girls watching... it's not cool for a guy to get his fortune read. Alright! Time to bluff!'

“Geez! I can't believe you dragged me here, Anzu!” He announced loudly, totally being obvious about this.

“What?!” Anzu glared. “ _Who_ dragged _who_ here?!”

“Quiet over there!” A girl by the set up yelled and Yugi sighed, apologizing for his friends being loud in the room, causing a mini scene.

The girl, wearing beads around her neck, and a headband with a six point star on it, just like the girl next to her, frowned deeply. “Lord Kokurano is in a state of meditation to raise his awareness. Your negative energy is blocking the flow of his power! If you are going to be noisy, then leave!”

The Lord Kokurano person was the one sitting at the set up in the back of the room, like a street fortune teller's booth. He had just looked at the palm of a girl who was blushing, looking so excited. “Ah... all becomes clear! As long as you don't die, you will continue to live! Heed my words!”  
  
“Oh yes!” The happy girl grinned. “I understand, Lord Kokurano! I'm sooo glad!”  
  
She stepped away and Kokurano looked up. He was a short, wide boy, wearing the same headband and beads as the girls, along with a cloak. “Next in line?” He asked.  
  
Jounouchi grinned, looking at the brunette next to him. “Go get your fortune told, Anzu!”  
  
“Why me?!” She huffed, giving him another glare.

 _I feel something..._ Yugi heard his spirit friend say, then he to felt something. The building shook as there was a loud rumbling sound. It was an earthquake! It didn't last long, but it was still pretty big and wasn't expected.

“It's over!” The boy blinked, looking at the ceiling.  
  
“That was a big one.” Jounouchi commented, glancing up as well.

“You there.” Kokurano spoke up, pointing at Jounouchi. “You just said 'get your fortune told', didn't you? I'll have you know, I'm not a fortune teller! To be sure, things like palmistry, fortunetelling, chi reading, feng shui, and astrology attempt to predict the future. But those are just based on statistics, calculating the odds. Methods of the past! I have the power of premonition! The ability to see the future!”

“Uhh... okay?”  
  
“You don't believe me? Then let me show you proof.”  
  
Kokurano dug under his cloak, pulling out a slip of paper, giving it to Jounouchi. “My powers gave me a vision of the future this morning. I wrote it down here... what does it say? Read it out loud!”  
  
Jounouchi looked at the paper, blinking. “'Earthquake Today'.”  
  
“Let's hear it for Lord Kokurano!” The main girl assistant of his shouted as the classroom cheered happily. Yugi was the only one not cheering, he trusted this guy's words as far as he could throw him, and Yugi knew damn well he couldn't throw this con artist.

“Maybe I should get my fortune after all...” Anzu smiled, blushing as she held out her hand for Kokurano.

He happily took it, commenting on how lovely it was as Anzu blushed more. Yugi watched in a jealous, protective rage as the guy touched her hand over and over, way more than he really should. 'Damnit... how dare he fondle Anzu's hand like that...'

Kokurano was flushed, panting a bit. 'Hehehehe... Mazaki Anzu... I've admired her from afar for so long. I can't believe I can touch her like this... this feels so good!' He glanced at his assistants, frowning a bit. 'These attendants are starting to bore me. I'm gonna seduce her... it'll be a cinch if I use my powers...'

He threw his hand in the air, it twitched as he spoke. “I can see... I can see...!” He then grabbed her hand once more, smiling at her. “I see a wonderful man who will appear before your eyes! He's someone close to you already! You will fall so deeply in love that you will swoon before him!”

Anzu blinked, but blushed lightly at these words. 'Huh... a wonderful man... I wonder if it's that voice, the man who said 'let's play a game'...'  
  
She stepped aside to let Jounouchi have his chance, but he got rejected before he could really asking anything! Uhg! How rude, this guy is a huge asshole!

Yugi frowned, stepping forward to the table. “Don't you want me to read you?” Kokurano asked.

The boy felt Yami bristle inside of him, giving him feelings of protection, in case anything happened in the next few moments. But Yugi calmed him down, sending feeling to relax, he had this handled. “I hate to be rude, but... I'm sure psychic powers really exist, however I get the feeling most psychics are fakes... or maybe... um...”  
  
“What was that?!” The main girl spoke up again. “Are you saying you don't believe in Lord Kokurano's powers?! You saw him predict the earthquake just now!”  
  
“Are you saying my power is fake?” Kokurano asked, sounding very annoyed.

“Well, no,” Yugi sighed. “But I saw a trick like that on TV...”  
  
“Really...” The other student's face was turning red in anger.  
  
“Just for example, you know... if you wrote 'earthquake today' and other predictions on note cards, and hid them in your clothes, that wouldn't be a real prediction.”

Kokurano glared deeply, tensing up, before he threw his hand in the air, making strange noises. Then he shoved a finger in Yugi's face, his voice full of anger and malice. “I can see! I can see! I see your future! Countless letters will fall from the heavens and will bring disaster upon you!”  
  
Yugi gasped, feeling dizzy for a brief moment. Yami was alert, no, he didn't need to take over, but he sure as hell was going to be awake and ready for anything now that there was a threat on Yugi's life!

–

“Don't get so down, Yugi!” Jounouchi said, looking at his buddy as they sat in their classroom. “That guy's predictions are useless!”  
  
Yugi cheered up a little at that, but then his smile died when Anzu spoke up. “But I heard a rumor... Kokurano's power became famous after this one prediction came true. Apparently he predicted a fire at a student from class A's house, three days before it happened. Luckily the student survived, but he's still in the hospital!”  
  
Jounouchi felt a cold chill run down his spine. “He really _is_ psychic...!”

Yugi chuckled a little, shaking his head. “Well, _I_ don't believe his prediction!”

The spirit, however, was not going to let this drop. He didn't believe the prediction either, but just like Yugi, he was confused as to what 'countless letters' meant. In time though he was sure they would get their answer.

Hours later, when school ended, Yugi happily finished packing up his school bag. “Anzu doesn't have work today, so she promised to go shopping with me on the way home from school!” He happily told his other half, looking at the shadow, before something caught his eye.

It was a library book, it was left sticking out of a desk. “What's this book?” He picked it up, looking it over. “I bet someone checked it out, then forgot about it. It's due today!”  
  
He glanced at the clock before shrugging. “There's still time before Anzu comes, so I'll go return it...” He mumbled, heading out of the room and down the hall.

Yugi made his way to the library, never noticing that he was being followed by someone the whole time, and that someone was not his shadow. He eventually found the shelf he was looking for, moving to put the book back where it came from.

Suddenly, there were loud, banging sounds behind him.  
_  
'Countless letters...!'_

He turned, seeing the bookshelf behind him was falling towards him. “Other me!”

A flash, darkness.

The bookshelf came down with a loud bang, books and papers everywhere, dust flying up into the air. A figure stood among the chaos, calm orchid eyes were now a burning crimson. _“One more moment to figure out 'countless letters' and my other self would be dead... but now I know! Kokurano is a menace who_ makes _his predictions come true!”_

Something clicking his head. “But if that's the case... Anzu is in danger!”  
  
–

Anzu frowned, leaning against a desk in the classroom. “Geez! What's taking Yugi so long... I got paid today, so I thought I'd take him out for a treat...”

Outside the door, Kokurano chuckled to himself, holding a bottle of chloroform close to him. “Mazaki Anzu... the future I predicted is about to come true!” He whispered to himself before entering. “Mazaki, are you waiting for someone?” He spoke up, catching her attention.  
  
“Kokurano? Well, yes.”  
  
“Shall I make a prediction? The person you're waiting for will not come, but... someone ever more wonderful will appear. You remember my prediction, don't you?”  
  
Anzu frowned a little, blinking. “What do you mean, Yugi won't come? That can't be true.”  
  
A damp rag was slapped over her mouth and nose, the smell making her dizzy as she was grabbed. “My predictions are infallible!” Kokurano grinned to himself.

The girl stumbled, feeling the world spin, everything was getting fuzzy. What had just happened, what did he do to her? She collapsed in his hold, limp, starting to lose consciousness. “And you see...” Kokurano continued. “You've swooned in front of me.”

He laughed, setting her down. “As long as I have my powers, any woman is mine! I'll be popular forever!”

“ _You think so?”_  
  
Kokurano gasped, turning to see someone at the door. It was Yugi! Kind of!? He looked different, his hair was more wild, he wore strange things on his jacket sleeves, and his eyes were piercing, red in color. “Too bad, Kokurano! Your prediction failed!”

The other student felt ice cold at the smile that 'Yugi' gave him. “Well, 'prophet'?” 'Yugi' spoke, “Let's play a game! If I lose, I'll acknowledge your psychic powers!”

In her start of going in and out of consciousness, Anzu heard the voice of the new arrival, she heard him say 'let's play a game'. It was him, she knew that voice! But... but she's so tired, she can't even see what he looks like, everything is a blur, she's so tired...

And Anzu knew nothing but the darkness.

“Play a game?!” Kokurano yelled, what was this kid up to?  
  
'Yugi' held up something, the bottle that Kokurano had used moments ago to dampen the cloth he had put on Anzu's face. “This is the bottle of chloroform you left behind. Or perhaps you saw the future and left it, because we'll use this bottle in our game.”  
  
He approached a desk, holding up sheets of paper he had materialized, setting all six down. Then he set the bottle on top of them, it was in the center, on all the papers at once. “The rules are simple. We spread some papers on the desk and place the bottle on top of them, as I just did. The players, you and I, take turns pulling out one sheet of paper at a time. You can't touch the bottle, of course.”

He crossed his arms, smirking at the other student. “The one who drops the bottle loses the game. Although the lose won't be conscious to know that.”  
  
“Hehehe... I've won already! I can see you snoring on the floor!” Kokurano announced as he walked to the other side of the table, now across from 'Yugi'.  
  
“That so?” 'Yugi' asked, sounding bored, but that smirk on his face was playful and deadly. “Then let's ro-sham-bo to see who goes first.”

'Yugi' won with rock beating scissors, so he was going first. He grabbed a sheet of paper, yanking it out from under the bottle. The bottle spun a bit, wobbling, before coming to a stop near a corner. “Phew!” Lucky break there, that was too close. “Now it's your turn.”  
  
Kokurano frowned, grabbing a piece of paper. “Hmph, I do not see a future where I drop the bottle!” He pulled the sheet away, making the bottle spin, then come to a stop, close to an edge. “Hehehe! Look! This is what my psychic powers can do!” He was overly confident, but still nervous, it was 'Yugi's' turn now, who knew if the bottle would drop this time or not.  
  
“Well, this is a pinch.” The red eyed boy frowned, but he yanked out the paper from under the bottle away. Like before, it wobbled and spun, before stopping.

And sadly, for Kokurano, it was halfway off the desk, a slight jostle and that bottle was gonna drop.

'Yugi' smirked, glaring at him. “Now what? You can't yank any more out. There is only one way to remove a page. If you're really psychic, you can levitate the bottle!” He taunted.  
  
“I'll show you! I'll show you my power!” Kokurano yelled, grabbing a slip of paper as he glared, concentrating on the chloroform. 'I can see... I can see the bottle floating!'

Yes, yes! The bottle was floating, haha! He was right, his powers worked, there was no way he was gonna lose this game!

_“The Door of Darkness has been opened...”_

“Bwahahahaha!” Kokurano laughed, turning to look at Yugi, pointing up in the air at nothing. “You see it, don't you? Do you see the bottle floating in the air!?” The bottle of chloroform remained right where it was on the desk.

“ _That is only your imagination.”_ 'Yugi' told him. _“Why don't you try pulling that paper out? That'll prove everything!”_  
  
“Hehehe...” He laughed nervously. “Imagination... can't be... I am... psychic..!” He nervously tugged the paper and the bottle dropped, shattering on the floor. The fumes did quick work to knock Kokurano out.

'Yugi' rolled his eyes, shaking his head a little. _“In their own imagination, anyone can be a psychic. It takes courage to recognize when you've been pushed to your limit, but... in the end, you didn't have that courage.”_  
  
**GAME OVER**

He looked at the unconscious boy on the ground, seeing that his cloak was spread out. All over the inside of it were pinned slips of paper. All of them had written things on them, things such as 'Japan sinks', 'Giants win', 'run over by train', dozens of things that could randomly happen at any moment, or things that Kokurano would make happen if he had to. “Well, well... look at all the predictions in your cloak...”

The spirit tisked, such a dumb boy, Yugi had been right. He smirked. “You probably won't wake up until tomorrow. By that time, everyone in school will know the truth about your psychic powers. I doubt you'll remain popular after that.”  
  
He glanced over, seeing Anzu laying peacefully on the floor. “Heh, sorry Anzu, but this is not a place for a nap, let's get you out of here...” He grabbed his school bag, made the papers vanish that had been on the desk, and then got Anzu up into his arms, carrying her out of the classroom.  
  
He headed for the entrance and got outside, gently setting her down against the stairs, propping her up. 'Yugi' felt his other half become more awake, more aware, guess it was time to leave for now.  
  
“No, not yet little one, let me do something first...” He said quietly, removing the school bag from his back, pulling out a sheet of paper and a pen. He wrote down a note, setting it down on Anzu's lap. He waved his hand over her face, watching her shift, moaning softly as she came to.  
  
Anzu rubbed at one of her eyes, yawning softly, before opening her eyes. She blinked, trying to make out the blurry person in front of her. She looked into the soft, orchid eyes she knew very well. “Yugi...?”  
  
Yugi smiled at her. “Hey there, sleeping beauty. Are you okay?”  
  
“I'm... I'm fine, what happened...?”  
  
“Kokurano knocked you out, turns out that guy is a big jerk and a fake! I'm not sure what happened though, but thank goodness you're alright!” Yugi replied, saying what Yami told him moments before she woke up. He was thankful that Yami wasn't keeping these things from him now, but Yami didn't tell him what happened to Kokurano. Well, he didn't tell him clearly.

_You'll just have to find out tomorrow, just like the rest of the school, hehe..._

Anzu blinked, frowning a little. She noticed the note in her lap and opened it up, seeing a hand written letter to her.

_Anzu,_

_Kokurano is a terrible person who was going to do something to you that I'm sure you can figure out. He used chloroform on you to knock you out, and tried to crush Yugi with a bookshelf. You'd fall for a man, Yugi would be crushed by countless letter, this jerk made his predictions come true._

_Come tomorrow, the school will know the truth as well._

_Stay close to Yugi, he will protect you._

There was no name or any indication of who it was from, but... a little part of her felt like it was from that mysterious man, the one who had saved her before. She smiled and put the note in her bag before turning to Yugi. “Ready to have a fun time, I need something to cheer me up. How about we go get a burger, it's on me!”  
  
Yugi grinned, taking her hand. “Yeah! Let's go!”  
  
–

“Thank you for protecting Anzu, and me.” Yugi said as he slipped into his pajamas. He looked over at the puzzle on his bed, knowing Yami was listening to him. “And... thank you for telling me that you took on that lame psychic wannabe. See, this is what I want, for you to not keep things from me. I mean, you don't have to tell me everything, just tell me...”  
  
_Just tell you the basics, yes?_

“Yeah, that's what I want. Like you did today. Though why didn't you tell me what you did to Kokurano?”

_Cause it's funnier for you to find out tomorrow like the rest of the school, I want to see Jounouchi's reaction to it._

“... Should I be worried?” He made a face.

_Heh, no, it's nothing bad. The game we played ended up with his secrets being reveal. Speaking of that, you were right, he did write his predictions down._

Yugi grinned at this. “I knew it!” He laughed, turning off the bedroom light, moving to lay down on the bed. He set the puzzle closer to him, seeing Yami shift around on the wall where the moonlight shone upon it. “Heh, good night, Other Me. Go to bed, you earned your rest.”

_Right, good night, Yugi._

Yami waited quietly for Yugi to sleep, before he moved into the puzzle. There was a flash in the room and the boy sat up, blinking, red eyes adjusting to the slight darkness of the room. “Sorry about this, other me, but you said I could do this...”

He slipped out of bed and went to the mirror Yugi had in his room, staring at the reflection.

The boy in the mirror looked like Yugi, but at the same time, he did not. His hair stuck up more, at least the blond did, the red and black was a little more wild. He didn't slouch, on the wrists of the pajama top were golden ankh accessories, like the kind on his host's school uniform when he took over.

The face was soft, but not as soft as Yugi's own, the eyes were sharper, less innocent, these eyes look like they have seen things. What things though?

Crimson stared back at him and he frowned. “So this is what I look like. But is this what I really look like? Am I suppose to be like this, or is this my host's influences?”

He looked himself over one more time, sighing. Be it as it may, he did not mind looking like this. He did not mind being this... other Yugi as he has been called, this other version of his host, he didn't mind... being, well, Yugi. As long as he helped his savior, he would be Yugi.

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yami has issues with himself, originally, Yami was going to believe that he was created from shadow magic and Yugi's own, lonely imagination, but I felt like that would be depressing. Plus I already established that he saw Grandpa back in the tomb years ago, so that didn't work out.
> 
> However, he still has problems. He doesn't like possessing Yugi, it makes him feel like he's doing a bad thing when in fact he is doing it to protect his friend and the others.
> 
> He'll get over this later, when Yugi is totally one hundred percent with it, which will happen after Death-T of course.
> 
> Also, slight hints of one-sided Peachshipping. It's not gonna happen in this story, since this is Puzzleshipping, but I mentioned one-sided Prideshipping might happen in this, so there's gonna be some side pairing stuff. Probably, who knows, we'll see. Puzzle is gonna happen, it's just some serious slow burn.
> 
> Next chapter: A new student comes to Yugi's class, a kid with unbelievable amounts of luck. He's the winner of a game show that he tricks Yugi and Jounouchi into, who is he? Why does he want to battle Yugi? Is he the second Master?
> 
> Thanks for reading, comment please!


	15. Luck of the Second Master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate episode chapters!
> 
> Why did past me think it was such a smart idea to mix season zero with the manga?! I'd love to punch him in his dumb, fifteen year old face... 
> 
> Uhg, anyway, this chapter was a pain in the ass. I was originally going to use the game show chapter of the manga because it's Jounouchi centered, but considering I added in the first Game Master, I might as well just go with the game show episode since the second one is in it. However, knowing me, I'll just have Jounouchi join another game show later on after Death-T.
> 
> Warning: Electric shocks in this chapter, what the hell is it with this series and people getting electrocuted?
> 
> Also, a big thank you to all of you for getting this story over 1100 hits! I wasn't expecting people to even bother looking at this fic, so thank you! And a big thank you to those who have started reading the side AU for this story! 
> 
> On with the fic!

It's been rather quiet for the past few days, not much trouble to report or deal with lately. Yami decided that he enjoyed the small brake from saving his other self and his friends. So now he 'sat' in the living room with Yugi and Grandpa, watching television with them. They had put the TV on a game show, the Game de Get show, a program where people win money.

Yami had no real interest in this sort of thing, though he had been curious of someone on the show. For seven weeks in a row, this one person had been winning, becoming the defending champion of the show. His name is Fuwa Ryuichi, apparently blessed by the goddess of luck.

Obviously, the spirit didn't trust him.

No one was ever that lucky, even those with a good streak will have to lose at some point, especially when they get cocky. Yami didn't want to brag, to become cocky himself, but he liked to keep himself levelheaded when he played, he knew that even in games he created, he had just as strong a chance of losing as his opponent did.

He watched in boredom as the game started, it was called Electric Roulette. The rules for the game were simple, all you had to do was press the switch, and the highest number won the game.

Yugi, Grandpa, and Yami watched as Fuwa's opponent hit his button as the light on the wheel spun, stopping on thirty five. It was a very close number to the highest, it would be rather difficult to beat that. Yami scoffed, please, this sounds like a reverse of the dice game he played with the director, and he won that cause of dumb luck.

Now it was Fuwa's turn to play, the light moved around the roulette wheel before it came to a stop, right on the last number, thirty six.

Another flawless victory for the lucky winner it seems. The announcer happy asked who will put an end to this boy's winning streak.

Fuwa scoffed, looking so proud. “Well,” he said, “only a god or an alien can beat me. Cause a normal human can't do it.”

 _'What of an ancient, gambling spirit? I'm not exactly normal.'_ Yami thought to himself, his soul smirking inside of the puzzle as he watched the show through his shadow.

“I wonder if he will be taken off his pedestal soon.” Grandpa spoke up, watching the show.

Yugi turned to him, blinking. “I dunno, Grandpa, he's been doing so well so far. He seems to be on fire right now.”

“Yes, but even the mighty will fall.” The old man shrugged. “But then again, maybe he really was kissed by the goddess of luck as they say.”

The boy laughed lightly. “Well, I guess.” He stood up, saying good night, before heading to his room. Once he closed the door, he looked over at his shadow. “You think he's gonna fail soon.”

_Of course I do. A gamer, even those who are the best, will have a battle or two that they will lose._

“Do you know this from experience?”

_Hmm... sort of. I have not lost a game myself, but I've come close. Though I have seen great gamers lose before._

Yami thought of Kaiba, someone he knew who had never lost before, until he played Duel Monsters with the spirit. _That man, with the dolls, it seems that he was an expert in games, I think Kaiba called him a Game Master, he had not lost before, or at least not in a long time._

Yugi blinked, tilting his head. “Oh? Huh, I guess you're right.” He thought about that Sheldon guy, a Game Master... Kaiba had said he was one of them, does that mean there are more? He... might have to be careful, gotta keep an eye on people right now, who knows what Kaiba would do next...

–

“Did you see the prize from last night's game show?” Jounouchi asked with glee the next day at school.

“The champion sure is amazing.” Yugi replied, looking at his friend before turning his attention to Anzu.

“If he keeps winning, his prize will just keep getting bigger.” She frowned, wondering if there was a limit to what one person could win from a game show.

Jounouchi counted up how much the prizes were for each time Fuwa played the game. It started with 10,000 yen and just went up from there. “If he wins the tenth week, that'll be 100,000 yen!” He exclaimed.

“That's amazing!” Miho happily said. “I wonder how much that champion's won!”

Honda frowned, putting a hand on her shoulder. “That's no good, Miho. You mustn't dirty yourself by falling for this guy. Because it's best for humans to live steadily, bit by bit. Getting money so quickly, he'll be driven out of society. And finally, all that's left is to end your life at the guillotine.”

His blond friend didn't like any of that talk, asking him what he was babbling about. It's a 100,000 prize if this kid keeps up his winning streak! 100,000 yen, that's so much money! “With that, I can pay back the debt from my idiot father's sake and gambling.” He frowned. He didn't really like bringing up his home life, but Jounouchi was serious about this. If he had that sort of money, he would be a bit better off than he is now with his dad. There's only so much his part-time jobs can do for him.

“With money, I can run away! Say goodbye to my pathetic life!” Jounouchi shouted, throwing his fist into the air.

Yugi blinked, looking up at his best friend. “Jounouchi...”

“Ah,” Anzu tilted her head, “is your life really like that?” Honda only told them so much that one time, there is a lot that Jounouchi likes to keep to himself.

Jounouchi paused, blushing before he covered his mouth. Okay, he got a little carried away, he really shouldn't have said that...

Honda sighed, looking at him. “You've paid for your school and living expenses since elementary school, haven't you?” He knew the answer to this already, but... well... it was true.

“Y-yeah! I'm not like you,” The other huffed, going on the defensive, “leeching from your parents at the leg! I'm the one who truly lives it steadily bit by bit!” He turned away to take his seat as the door to the classroom opened.

The students inside took their seats as the rest filed in. The teacher stood at the front of the room, getting their attention, though someone else stood there with him. “Good morning. Today, I will introduce a new friend to all of you.”

The class seemed interested, a transfer student wasn't always a common event for them.

The teacher turned, writing a name on the board, before turning to the new student. “He's Fuwa Ryuichi.”

“Pleased 'ta mee'cha.” Fuwa greeted, a cocky look on his face.

“It's him!” Jounouchi blinked. “The Game de Get show champion!”

“That's right...” Yugi frowned, looking at Fuwa. He felt a slight sense of unease, and a bit of annoyance, from Yami. Wow, the spirit really did not like this guy at all.

Fuwa smirked, looking at the class, hearing their comments. “Yup, that's right. Just to get it out of the way, I don't give out signatures. And to the ladies, I know I'm handsome, but... please don't think you can be my girlfriend. I have no interest in kids.”

Wow, the more this guy talked, the more the weird feelings Yami gave off flared up. Yugi glanced out of the corner of his eye, seeing his shadow twitch and move. Ah, so the spirit decided to come out and check things out then?

“So, Fuwa's desk will be...” The teacher started to say, only to get interrupted.

Fuwa had thrown his school bag across the room, where it landed perfectly on the empty desk next to Yugi. Yami shifted even more, narrowing his eyes. The teacher didn't approve of this, telling Fuwa that he decided where he was to sit, but Fuwa smirked, telling him that they were going to play a game.

“The rule is simple.” Fuwa started, holding up a coin. It was basically a simple coin game, the teacher called out heads or tails, if it landed on what he called out, he picked the seat and could keep the coin. He flipped the coin, catching it, before putting it on his other hand. The teacher called out heads, turns out it was tails, so Fuwa won the game. With that, he went to his seat and sat down.

Yugi looked at him, smiling a little. “Nice to meet you. I'm Mutou Yugi.”

The lucky boy turned to him, that cocky smile still on his face. “Let's get along.” He said, and warning bells went off in Yami's head. He didn't trust this guy at all!

–

The rest of the school day seemed very odd, but entertaining. Fuwa showed off his skills of luck to his fellow classmates throughout class, like when he showed Yugi where to study in his book for the surprise test that was coming up after their break period.

It was amazing that Fuwa was correct about this! Maybe he really was blessed by the goddess of luck!

Yugi did his best to ignore Yami's hatred for this guy, it was as if he was worrying over nothing. Though... Yugi did have to admit, this guy had a really nasty attitude towards other people, believing that he was clearly better than everyone around him. He even got cheeky with Ms. Chono, by not doing the test and just leaving the room.

The boy had noticed that Fuwa pointed out that her make up was off. For once, he saw Yami's magic take affect. It was a bit shocking to see a crack form on her face! Guess she hadn't learned her lesson then if the illusion was still there.

He also noticed that Jounouchi kept glaring at Fuwa, Honda seemed to hate him as well, Anzu was indifferent, but Miho was so fascinated by him! There was a lot of love-hate in the room from everyone towards this guy.

When the school day ended, Fuwa walked out the gate, only to have his sleeve grabbed by Miho. “Hey, Miho is a Virgo, AB blood type.” She told him with a big smile on her face. “How about you, Fuwa? I think we're highly compatible!”

He took notice that he was surrounded by Yugi and his friends, when the hell did that happen? He tried avoiding her, but she kept reaching for his hand, so he turned to face the group. “Do ya want to eat anything? I'll treat.”

Fuwa gestured behind him to a Chinese restaurant they had walked towards. “This place looks expensive... are you sure it's okay?” Yugi asked, looking up at the building.

“Seems ya don't know a thing 'bout me.” Fuwa scoffed. He turned, heading inside, where someone inside he struck a gong. A ball attached to the ceiling opened up, dropping confetti and streamers down onto the group.

“Congratulations! You are the 10,000 customer since the opening of this restaurant!” A man happily stated as he approached the lucky boy. “All the food and drink today will be free!”

“Dat's how it is.” Fuwa said to the other five, smirking.

They were soon seated at a table and Fuwa told them to go right ahead and dig in, since more food would be coming. As Honda began to eat, he noticed that Jounouchi continued to scowl. He smirked, yes, maybe his friend was going to finally knock some sense into this cocky bastard. And he totally wasn't wishing for that cause Miho was interested in Fuwa, nope, totally not the reason.

They finished the meal and headed out, where they came across a small booth where a game was being played. One of those try your luck games with the crank, with strong hopes of winning a prize when you got a certain ball out of the crack machine.

Miho suggested that they give it a try, since they had just gotten tickets for it. “We get three chances, right?” Anzu asked.

“Alright, wanna duel me?” Fuwa asked, looking down at Yugi. The boy looked at him confused, so Fuwa continued. “The rule is simple. The one who wins the A prize wins. The loser will do whatever the winner tells him. Well?”

“Okay...” Yugi nodded, ignoring Yami's feelings of warning. Yami was going to ask if he could play the game, but... he wasn't exactly ready to expose himself to Yugi's friends, especially because he just wanted to show up this asshole.

Yugi stepped up to the game first, cranking the little machine. Out came a white ball, and all Yugi won was a compensation prize of tissues. Fuwa pushed him aside, taking the handle, and turning it. Out popped a gold ball, meaning he won the game.

The prize, apparently, is a trip to Italy. Everyone seemed surprised and Miho was excited. Fuwa smirked, looking at Yugi. “Looks like I won, Yugi.”

The boy laughed a little. “I lost. I guess I really can't beat you, Fuwa.”

“I can't believe there's a person like you, Fuwa!” Miho smiled brightly.

Jounouchi's scowl deepened as he moved up behind Fuwa. “No! I can't hold it in anymore!” He said, sounding pissed off. Honda was excited, was this when Jounouchi was finally gonna clean his clock? Jounouchi moved, standing in front of Fuwa, getting his attention. “Fuwa!” There was a stand off of stares, before the blond just... dropped to his hands and knees in front of this other boy. “Please! Please take me as your student!”

That... was clearly not expected. At all.

“Also... I want luck like you! Please!” He begged, looking up at the cocky brunet.

Fuwa just laughed at this. “Are ya dumb?” He snorted, turning to Yugi now. “Yugi. I look forward to ya keeping your promise.”

“Promise? You mean to do what you say, Fuwa?” Yugi asked, not liking where this was going...

“Yep, later.” He said, turning away from the other five.

–

As Fuwa walked down the street, a limo pulled up behind him. A man rolled down the window, informing the boy that he had something for him.

It seems that Kaiba had summoned him.

–

“Welcome, my second game master, Fuwa Ryuichi.”

“I was feelin' like talkin' to ya anyway. Following your orders, I transferred to Domino High School. But what's the big deal with Mutou Yugi? Why do I have to fight that guy?”

“Mutou Yugi... he has another face. You still do not know his true form.”

“As you know, I possess a rare amount of luck. Do ya understand what that means?”

Kaiba sat back, watching as Fuwa put in the correct combination to the safe that contained a revolver and bullets he kept in there in his office. He watched Fuwa put five bullets into six slots, before spinning the chamber. He put the muzzle to his head. “I bet if this model gun hits, it would hurt.”

The trigger was pulled, and nothing happened. Kaiba narrowed his eyes.

“I'm bored of being with ya.” Fuwa said, setting the gun down on the desk. “I want a life or death duel.”

This made the other man smirk. “With Yugi, you can have that. Draw forth his other face. And if you wish for it, you can duel him in an organization location. What do you think? Doesn't sound boring to me.”

Fuwa thought on this. “Organization location? Game de Get show?”

“That show's sponsor is part of our system. I can make it happen.”

“I see.”

–

Yugi hissed in pain when the pool ball struck him in the face, then he let out a sharp sound when he was hit in the chest. What the hell kind of game was this that Fuwa dragged him into?! “This isn't a game!” He yelled. “Let's not do this!” He ignored Yami's requests to take over, he wanted answers on his own, Yami didn't need to get involved. He already had enough problems and enemies as it was. If things got worse, he's let the spirit step in...

“What are ya saying?” Fuwa spoke, that damn cocky look forever on his face. “It's a great game. We hit balls at each other, the one that hits the most wins. Did you forget? You agreed to do whatever I said, right?” There was a determined look in his eyes, like he had other plans for Yugi.

Kaiba told him to bring out the Other Yugi, and damnit, he was gonna do it.

“So... get up, Yugi!” He demanded, pointing the pool cue at him, watching Yugi rise to his feet.

The balls were set up once more and Fuwa took the shot, scattering the pile of pool balls into all directions. Of course, several of them hit their human target. Yugi felt the dizzy feeling come to him, Yami wanted to take control, but... no, Yugi didn't want him to, not yet-

The door to the pool room opened, Jounouchi stepping in and almost getting hit with balls from Fuwa's next strike. He gasped, seeing Yugi drop to his knees, looking to be in some pretty bad pain. “Yugi! Are you okay?!” He asked, grabbing his friend. He turned to Fuwa, glaring daggers at him. “How dare you do that to Yugi!”

He set Yugi down, before climbing on the pool table, going in for a hard strike, only... for his foot to break through the table, causing him to fall. Honda moved in for an attack with a mop, but he had struck a light fixture with it, causing that to fall on top of him.

“Fools.” Fuwa scoffed. “Still don't get it? I'm protected with my powerful luck. Guys like ya can't even touch me.”

“Hey, what are you thinking?!” Anzu called out. She, like Honda, had followed Jounouchi to where Yugi was.

“How mean!” Miho growled. “I thought you were a nicer guy than this, Fuwa!”

Fuwa just laughed. “What are ya commoners prattling 'bout? Just be glad I let ya hang out with me. Gotta know yer place.”

–

Yugi winced as Miho and Anzu tended to his bruises and swelling at the game shop. Honda frowned, watching the girls tend to their injured friend, before he noticed something on Yugi's desk. “Yugi, it's a letter from the TV station.”

“Grandpa must have left it for me. Can you read it?” Yugi asked.

Honda opened the envelope, looking it over, before stammering out that it was a request for Yugi to appear on the Game de Get show! This caught Jounouchi's attention. The blond turned to his best friend, begging to be allowed to take Yugi's place on the show. It was a bit surprising that he wanted to be on it, but then Yugi remembered what the prize would be 100,000 dollars, and, well, Jounouchi clearly looked like he wanted revenge on Fuwa for what he had done to them.

Permission was granted, and Jounouchi got to be on the show, under Yugi's name though.

He was obviously against Fuwa, who seemed annoyed by Jounouchi being there. Why did Yugi send this guy in his place? Oh well, he didn't care, the results were the same no matter who he faced.

The show's game for the day was Electric Concentration. It was the same as regular concentration, match the most cards to win. However, if you got the Joker, you were in trouble. Jounouchi made a guess with cards A and K, and failed, but Fuwa guessed A and C, getting a match.

In return, Jounouchi got an electric shock. The host laughed, saying that he forgot to mention that when the opponent obtains cards, the other person gets a mild shock. No wonder it was called Electric Concentration...

Sadly, Jounouchi lost the game, having gotten no matches, since the winner kept going, and was shocked for each match Fuwa made, which... was all of them.

Yugi was disturbed and appalled by this! He felt rage building up inside of him, from both himself and his other half.

_Fuwa, watch out, your luck is about to end..._

–

Backstage, Jounouchi sat in a chair, feeling horrible about having lost so easily, and still feeling the pain from the mild electric shocks. Jeez, he was not having the best luck when it came to electric stuff...

“Are you okay, Jounouchi?” Yugi asked, wishing he had just went instead of his friend.  
  
“I suppose.” Jounouchi sighed softly. “But Fuwa, that bastard, he's not human.”

“Right, I'm a god.”

The gang turned, seeing the bastard enter the room, looking smug as ever. “Jounouchi. Yer workin' pretty hard for yer dad's debts.” Fuwa smirked, before scowling. “I suppose ya want me ta cry for ya. That kind of story is what I hate the most. How lazy! I'm disgusted!”

Jounouchi rose from his chair, pissed off. “You bastard!” He growled, but stumbled, still feeling the effects from the game, making him fall to his knees.

“Jounouchi!” Yugi got down, trying to help his friend up. “That's so mean, Fuwa!” He glared at the other boy, feeling another dizzy spell coming on.

“Mutou Yugi?” Fuwa glowered. “A pathetic guy that don't even live up to the rumors.”

“You didn't have to do that!”

“I just want a game with Yugi.”

Yugi blinked, what did he mean by that? “But... that...”

“Ya sure are nice, Yugi.” Fuwa started, before swinging his leg up, striking Yugi in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. He smirked, stepping on the boy. 'What other face? Maybe if I remove the skin from his face, I can see another one then.'

The boy on the ground grunted, his expression changing, the puzzle around his neck flashing for a split second.

–

Something... seemed very off right now.

The studio was empty, and dark, the stage didn't seem to be in use. Fuwa frowned, what happened? Wasn't he just in the backroom, dealing with Yugi and his stupid gang of followers? He remembered a flash of gold, but then things went sort of... black for a moment, and the next thing he knew, he found himself on the set for the game show.

“ _Fuwa.”_

A voice? It sounded... familiar, but very different.

He turned, finding that he was no longer alone in the room. Standing not far from him was... Yugi? No, it couldn't be, this boy was different, he looked like him, but there was an obvious difference. He gave off a stronger air, his appearance more confident, yet wild.

Instead of a white shirt, he wore a strange tank top with leather straps on it, his uniform jacket rested on his shoulders like a cape. This boy, with eyes of burning crimson, that seemed to glow in the darkness of the room, appeared like a king.

“ _It's game time.”_ 'Yugi' said, in that voice from seconds before.

This... this had to be the Other Yugi that Kaiba spoke of! Well, Kaiba wasn't wrong, this really was a different face for Yugi, that's for sure.

“Heh, I've been waitin' for this.” Fuwa replied, finally, the challenge he's been looking for from this brat.

The game, it seems, was to be Electric Concentration, the game Fuwa hurt Jounouchi with. Fuwa sat in his platform, the one that rose above the stage, while the Other Yugi took his place in the opponent's spot. 'Yugi' smirked at Fuwa, telling him that this game was going to be a little different from before, the shocks were going to be much more powerful than they were earlier, and they will take turns, even if the other obtains cards.

“Fine.” Fuwa rolled his eyes. “If I do the same as before, I'll win in no time. Here I go, C and H.”

The cards flipped, showing that he was right. Which meant that the electric shock happened to 'Yugi', just as it had to Jounouchi. He groaned, feeling it go through his body, fuck, he was going to be very sore after this Shadow Game...

“I and F.” The Other Yugi called out, the cards flipped, not showing a match.

“A and E.” Another shock for 'Yugi'.

“I and... F.” Again, not a match, what was he up to? Fuwa didn't like that, was he throwing the game on purpose? Oh well, it was kinda funny watching him get hurt.

He chuckled. “Giving up? B and K.” Another match, another shock, and once again, 'Yugi' said I and F.

“The same again?!” Now Fuwa was just confused as hell. “Did ya fry ya brains?”

But then... the power seemed to have gone out, plunging them into darkness again. “Huh, all that electricity caused the breaker to blow.” Fuwa blinked.

The playing mat that showed the cards light up in the darkness, the cards were flipped, showing their letter sides once more. The spot lights that had been on over the players were back to running once more. “The back up electricity has activated.” The Other Yugi said calmly. “Now, continue the game.”

“Heh, ya still want to do it? Well, fine, only five cards left.” Fuwa replied. “G and...” The G card flipped, showing a five. “Great! Five. The card you kept pulling!”

Yami Yugi narrowed his eyes, staring right at the board, the Shadow Game wasn't going to be won by Fuwa so easily... _“The Door of Darkness has been opened...”_

“In other words, the other five card is F.” The lucky boy announced, rising from his seat. However, the F card flipped, but did now show a five, it showed the Joker. “What?! Joker?!”

Oh! He figured it out, when the electricity was out, the game board rearranged itself! “This is what ya were after!” He glared down at the other boy, seeing the wicked smirk form on his lips. It sent a shiver down Fuwa's spine.

“Looks like you're not the only lucky one.” 'Yugi' chuckled. Oh how the tables have turned... “Now that you've picked Joker, all your cards are mine.”

He leaned forward, there was a glint in his eyes, one that showed that he was going to enjoy what was going to happened next. “And... you get all the electricity in one shock.”

Fuwa's eyes widened as he watched 'Yugi' literally rise above him, just as the full force of the electricity that the Other Yugi had went through hit him all at once! His chair broke, making him fall to the ground as he continued to be shocked.

“ _Funny how I've been thinking your winning streak would come to an end when you got too cocky,”_ 'Yugi' commented, looking down at the other player, _“didn't really expect it to come so soon, and in a game with me. Oh well, I'll enjoy the victory anyway.”_

**GAME OVER**

–

The next airing of Game de Get Show came on TV a week later and Yami watched in complete satisfaction at the sight of the still cocky Fuwa completely lose at the game he was playing on live television.

Serves him right for thinking he was a god of sorts, blessed by lady luck, what a joke.

–

Two Game Masters down, two more to go.

If they are all defeated, then he will know that Mutou Yugi and his other, darker self were worthy of playing the ultimate game of revenge.

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I gave never wanted to bunch a character so much in a fanfic I've written as much as I have with Fuwa. I hate this guy, luckily I'll never have to write for him again, cause fuck that guy, he's not coming back for Death-T like he did in the anime.
> 
> Anyway, hey! Sorry for the wait, I just have one full week of school left and finals week, then it's summer break and I'm free to write!
> 
> And I really will be writing for this story during my break, since I've actually have this whole thing planned out. I spent over an hour writing up just the chapter numbers and names in my notes for not only this part of the story, but the next four stories to go along with it (yep, I'm writing Duelist, DDM, and Millennium World as their own stories. Because if I don't, this story will be over 100 chapters). So guess what, this part of the story will be about thirty four chapters, though I may remove one of them, we'll see.
> 
> Next chapter: A strange girl comes into Yugi's life and she is driving both Yami and Anzu nuts, what is she up to, what are her intentions, and what can Yugi do when he is unable to allow Yami to take over, even when he really needs him to!?
> 
> Thanks for reading, please review!


	16. I Can't Transform!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I was just gonna skip this episode and do the popularity one, but one, I don't like writing Miho, and two, Kaiba is actually pretty cool in this episode. I know he does what he does for his own needs, but he actually helps Yugi instead of giving him a hard time.
> 
> Plus I love writing Kaiba, and also, I get to write a jealous Yami in this chapter (And jealous Anzu as well, but... hm.) I did have to change some of Anzu's stuff in this chapter, since she doesn't know who Yami Yugi is, unlike in the show, where she had found out that Yugi had another side to him that saved her.
> 
> Also, I was going to do the episode where Shizuka was introduced, but I'd rather her be introduced in Duelist Kingdom like she originally was. And also... THE SHADOW GAME FOR THAT EPISODE PISSES ME OFF! Shadow Golf?! Fucking Shadow Golf?! He used a stethoscope as a golf club to win the fucking game! However, Yami making zombies was pretty bad ass, so it gets a few points for that, but the god damn game!
> 
> On with the fic!

The Kame Game Shop seemed to be doing well, business wise, as the sales of Duel Monsters cards has gone up recently, mainly due to a growing increase in the popularity of the game in Japan. It seems that in time, it might be more popular there then in the United States, when the game is from.

Yugi and his spirit friend are both very pleased with the new cards coming in, meaning that Yugi could get better at the game, and Yami could enjoy playing it more. Even after the game with Kaiba and Sheldon, Yami still loved Duel Monsters, he felt a strange connection with the game.

Right now, Yugi was looking at the new card packs that Grandpa had put on display that day, so excited about them. “Awesome!” He cheered. “You got more Duel Monsters cards!” They had ran out a few days ago, looks like the new shipment came in while he was out.

Anzu chuckled next to him, smiling at her friend. “Hey Yugi, guess what! I'm learning how to play Duel Monsters!” She winked, the boy was actually surprised by this.  
  
Grandpa chuckled, holding up two unopened packs of cards. “Well then, even though it's a sales product, as a favor I'll give these to you two as a present.”

“Really?!” Yugi and Anzu happily asked at the same time, just as the door to the shop opened up. A young girl in a cloak walked in quietly, moving about the store, looking at the products on display as Yugi and Anzu opened their cards.

In the puzzle, Yami stirred from his 'rest', sensing something. He felt a faint power, but... it seemed dulled, neutral, something that wasn't being used at the moment. He huffed, brushing it off as he moved to try and rest. He didn't really need to, but it's only been a few days since the electric shocks he took and he had used his powers to heal Yugi, but in exchange, Yami had taken all the damage to his form in the puzzle and he needed to rest. The shadows were slowly restoring his health, taking their sweet, damn time apparently!

Yugi sighed, but smiled anyway as he looked over the cards. “I own all of these.” Oh well, never hurt to have extras to trade with Jounouchi later.

“Hey, I've never seen this card before.” Anzu blinked, looking at the card she held up. She brought it down, showing it to Yugi, who looked shocked, exclaiming that it was 'Violet Hekate', a powerful seven star monster with 2500 attack, 2300 defense. The girl in the store was alerted to this.

“Is it rare?” The brunette girl asked her small friend, she's never seen or heard of this card before, but then again, she was still learning how to play.

“It's not just rare!” Yugi explained. “This card is one of the three witch sisters. It's a rare card that you won't see just anywhere!”

Grandpa tilted his head, resting his hand on his chin. “It's also the first time that I've seen it.”

Anzu looked at the card, smiling, before handing it to Yugi. “I'll give it to you then.”

“You're really giving this to me?” Yugi asked, surprised.

“Yeah! If the card is that precious, then I'm sure it'd be more useful if you had it, Yugi!” She smiled sweetly, knowing it would do him more good than it would do her anyway.

Yugi stared at the card, taking it, before happily cheering. Anzu watched him, it's times like this that she enjoyed Yugi's innocent nature, he was different from anyone she's ever met, she hoped that Yugi's pure soul would do him wonders in the future. She knows he's gotten a bit more confident in the past few weeks or so, probably thanks to his new friends, but it's sweet to find that no matter what, he was still the same boy she had been friends with since they were children.

“Thank you, Anzu!” Yugi said, his cheeks tinted pink, he swore his heart skipped a beat. “I'll cherish it!”

Yami felt Yugi's joy, hearing him thank Anzu, realizing that it was because of the card. He smiled to himself, his savior had such good friends. He still felt that weird magic in the store, that something made it spike for a moment, but then it went back to normal.

Hmm... he might have to inspect things.

With a heavy side, he rolled over, facing the door. He put his hand to it, sending out his shadow to go into Yugi's. He looked around the store from where he was, he only saw Grandpa, Anzu, and Yugi there, no one else was in the shop.

Even Grandpa had noticed that the girl was gone, how curious, he didn't even hear the bell above the door ring...

–

“That card is really that rare?” Jounouchi asked the next morning as he, Yugi, and their other friends stood in the locker area.

“Nice!” Miho grinned. “Miho also wants one!”

“I bet you don't know the rules...” Anzu mumbled, well, Miho sort of knew them, but she wasn't that great at playing.

Honda blushed when he heard Miho. “I guess I'd also like to try.” He said nervously.

“Let's play together!” Yugi chuckled. “I'll teach you the rules!” He told them as he opened his shoe locker, not noticing an envelope on his school shoes. He removed his shoes, causing the envelope to fall out, without him really seeing it, but Jounouchi and Honda sure did.

“LOVE LETTER!” They both yelled at the same time.

“Hey...” Anzu said, looking annoyed as she smiled. “I didn't really see; whose shoe locker did it fall from?”

“Mine, of course!”

“Don't be stupid! Mine! Mine!”

Anzu looked ready to punch the living daylights out of those two fools as the letter was lost from them, sent flying towards Miho, who caught it. “It has 'Mutou Yugi' written on it!” She announced, everyone seemed rather surprised by this. Even Yami was, the shadow perking up under Yugi's feet, who sent his other half a letter? Especially one with a little heart sticker on it?

"For me?” Yugi blinked, this was a first, he's never gotten a love letter before in his life.

–

In their classroom, Yugi sunk in his seat, not liking the curious eyes he felt on him from his friends, nor did he like the weird feeling he felt from Yami inside of his chest.

“I'm so frustrated!” Honda huffed, looking down at the smaller boy. “Let me see!” He and Jounouchi had been hounding Yugi all morning to see the contents of the envelope, and honestly, Yugi was really wishing he could sink into the dark abyss of the void right now...

Honda snatched the letter out of Yugi's hands, causing him and Jounouchi to fight over it once more, as they had done in the locker room. It was an embarrassing sight to behold, that's for sure.

“Let me see!” Anzu shouted at them, causing the two boys to give her the letter. Once she had a hold of it, she began to read it out loud for them:

_'Hello._

_I'm sure you're surprised to suddenly receive a letter like this. But I just wanted you to know these feelings in my heart. Could we meet just once? I'll be waiting after school at Domino Park._

_From Kageyama Risa'_

Yugi's shadow twitched and moved violently for a second, but went unnoticed. Yugi frowned, feeling another weird feeling from Yami, was... it jealousy? How strange.

“Yugi is popular with the girls!” Miho giggled, looking at her small friend, making him blush.

“No way.” Yugi smiled sheepishly. “I don't know this Kageyama Risa person...”

“A girl has been watching you from afar!” Miho happily said. “Right, Anzu?”

Anzu blinked, looking away from the letter. “Yeah.” She replied, frowning a little. This caught Yugi's attention, oh, was... there a problem with the letter? Did Anzu not like that Yugi got one?

“They say a name matches the body.” Honda spoke up. “Kageyama Risa, that is the name of an unattractive girl!”

“I think so too!” Jounouchi added on.

They threw an arm over each others' shoulders, laughing about how they found something they could both agree on that morning! Honda made a joke about how the girl might be some sorta Frankenstein girl due to having 'kana' in her name, saying this as Miho said her name out loud, seeing that her first name was two syllables, making her think it meant she was ugly.

Obviously, Honda realized his mistake and tried to apologize, chasing after the distraught girl with Jounouchi following after them. While those three were distracted, Anzu looked down at Yugi, frowning deeply. “So... what are you going to do, Yugi?” She asked, worried he'd go to meet that girl. Yami was worried of the same thing, but he kept his mouth shut. He wasn't allowed to lie to Yugi anymore, but he couldn't lie if he didn't open his mouth.

Anzu sighed, seeing that Yugi was avoiding eye contact, his cheeks turning pink. “If you don't feel like it, you don't have to go.” She told him, the spirit agreeing with her silently.

“He's dealing with a female Franken!” Honda spoke up, putting in his two cents where it wasn't needed. “Be kind to her, Yugi.”

“We're getting along unusually well today, Honda.” Jounouchi grinned at his friend.

“Yeah, Jounouchi!” Then the two of them laughed once more, continuing to make a spectacle of themselves.

–

Hours later, when school was finally over, Yugi sat quietly in Domino Park, waiting for this mysterious Risa girl to appear.

_I think this is a terrible idea, what if this is some stupid prank someone is trying to pull on you..._

Yugi sighed, shaking his head. “Other Me, I don't think this is a prank. Why are you so worked up over this? It's not like there's a threat or anything.” He mumbled at the ground, looking at the darkened shadow.

_I'm... just worried, you never know who she could be. And considering the track record of strangers coming into your life lately... can you blame me?_

“Well... no, not really, but still. This could be different!” Yugi smiled, having no idea that his friends were watching him from a short distance away, probably for the best that he didn't notice them, they've been really goofy all day, and it was exhausting.

A young girl walked up the path, dressed in a dark uniform with a deal blue ribbon on it. Anzu realized that the girl was wearing a Black Rose Girls Academy uniform, a very elite school. Was... she the girl who left the note for Yugi?

“Uhh...” The girl spoke up as she stopped by Yugi, catching his attention, and that of the spirit. Yami twitched, feeling that weird feeling from the day before again. Was it this girl? No, she looked so harmless, her face was so sweet, maybe something was just off in the air lately? His senses were a bit out of wack cause of the electric shocks he took?

“You read the letter, didn't you?” She asked, smiling softly at the blushing boy in front of her.

“Y-yes!” Yugi nodded, standing up from the bench he had been sitting on.

“... Here...” The girl, Risa, held out a small bundle she had been carrying with her. “I knitted this."

The pink on Yugi's cheeks burned brighter as he thanked her. She was blushing as well. “I... just had to talk with you, Yugi. Oh?” She looked at his chest, seeing the Millennium Puzzle. “What a pretty pendant...” She reached out to touch it, feeling huge amounts of strong, dark energy come from it, even without her making direct contact!

Inside, she hissed, no! What is this ancient power this little boy wore so easily around his neck?!

Yami jumped at the sudden bit of energy he felt from her. Something was wrong, very wrong, but... the feeling was gone, things returned to normal.

_What the hell just happened?_

Risa frowned, turning around, confusing Yugi, along with that weird jolt of fear he felt from his spirit friend. What in the world? “What's wrong?” He asked Risa, though the question could be asked to Yami as well. “Are you feeling unwell?”

The dark haired girl turned back to him, her face as gentle and sweet as it had been before. “No, it's nothing.” She assured him. “I just feel excited. I'm going home, I'm sorry.” She turned, running past him, continuing down the path.

“Hey, Risa!” Yugi called out to her. His attention went from the pretty girl to the three people who just tumbled out of a bush. Oh hey, looks like his friends were here the whole time, spying on him. How... nice.

–

“Wow!” Miho exclaimed happily as she looked at the present Yugi had received. It was a baby blue, knitted summer sweater! “It's full of love, right?” She asked, holding it up to Anzu, Jounouchi, and Honda.

“How embarrassing...” Yugi mumbled, if this kept up, he was going to break a blood vessel from how much he was blushing today.

Honda and Jounouchi moved to stand in front of Yugi, apologizing for how they had acted today, and for insulting the very pretty Risa. Clearly she was not a monster as they had expected. Also.... they seemed to have lost all confidence and really need to head home to rethink their lives...

Anzu rolled her eyes, turning away from the retreating boys to look at Yugi. “What are you going to do, Yugi?” She had that look on her face again, the one she had when she looked at the letter in the locker room and in the classroom. Yugi didn't like that look, it was like the physical form of what Yami was feeling. “That Risa girl is pretty serious. Are you going to date her?”

“I only met her for the first time today.” Yugi frowned, a little uncomfortable. “I don't know...”

“Then you're turning her down, right?” She nodded, smirking. “Yeah, that fits you, Yugi.”

“Anzu!” Miho spoke up. “Could it be... jealousy?”

“W-what are you saying?!” Anzu shouted, her attention on the light haired girl. “I'm worried about Yugi, as a friend! It's only natural!”

“No need to be so angry!” Miho laughed, finding Anzu's reaction really funny.

Yugi frowned, looking away from the. ''As friends?' Is... that all Anzu thinks of me as...?'

–

That night, as Yugi and Grandpa dueled, while Yami rested quietly in the puzzle once more, the phone rang. Yugi quickly got up and answered it. “Yes, Mutou here.” He spoke into the phone. “Hello?” He asked, repeating it again when he didn't get a response.

“Hello..?” Came the voice from the other end. “Um... do you know who this is?”

“Oh! Risa!”

“I'm so happy. You remember me!”

“Yeah...” Yugi felt his cheeks burning again for the umpteenth time that day.

“Can we meet again? Tomorrow morning, in the same place?”

Yugi made a noise of approval, though he frowned. Tomorrow morning, he was going to properly turn her down. He thought it was nice that she had a crush but... he wasn't sure, especially because he was dealing with problems with his own crush already. “Hm, yes, tomorrow, at Domino Park.”

–

“They're hand knit socks...” Risa smiled softly, holding out the pink socks that she had made for Yugi. “Please wear them if you'd like.”

“Umm...” Oh shoot, she made things a little more difficult for him... “I don't think I can take them. I don't know anything about you, for one thing. Risa, why did you send me a letter?”

Risa turned, holding the socks to her chest as she looked at the ground. “Yugi's home is a game shop, right? I saw you there, Yugi... and... and...” She turned, smiling gently at him, “fell in love with you.”

Yugi blinked, a bit surprised by that. “But...” She continued. “I'm bother you, aren't I? Someone like me...” She turned away from him, and Yugi swore he saw a tear in her eye. “I'm sorry...”

“That's not so!” Yugi spoke up. “Risa is very pretty...” He had not idea that she was smirking, her eyes a pale sea green, that strange magic feeling coming back. However, it went unnoticed by Yami, as he was currently out of commission, having been asked by Yugi to let him deal with the 'break up' on his own, as it was his problem to deal with. Looks like that plan backfired...

“Really?” Risa turned, her smile returning to her pretty face. “Then can we meet again?” She handed Yugi the socks, before touching his hands, making his face turn pink once more.

Yep, totally backfired...

At school, Yugi had decided it was just best to take a page from the spirit's book and... well... lie his way through this to avoid trouble. He had told his friends that he hadn't seen Risa since the first meeting, and they were disappointed. Except Anzu, she wasn't even looking at Yugi, in fact, she seemed very annoyed with him right now.

Yami... well... he was kind of acting like Anzu, except that Yugi could actually tell what he was feeling. And clearly, the spirit was feeling annoyed, jealous, and a tiny bit exhausted, emotionally, not physically. Yugi wondered what that was all about.

However, Yugi hoped that Yami would cheer up a little, as he had planned to really break this off when he and Risa met up again. He didn't want to string her along, and he didn't want to be... well... in a relationship with a girl he only just met. It was a little weird to him, to be honest.

As he and his friends left school that day, Yugi had noticed the new girl out of the corner of his eye. He told the group that he had some urgent business to take care of and tried to get away from them. As they walked away, leaving Yugi to go do... whatever, Anzu looked over, seeing Yugi approach Risa.

Oh no, this can't be good.

–

A limo came to a stop just outside of Domino Park, one of the windows rolling down as Kaiba looked at the people walking out of the park. One was obviously Yugi, he knew that boy anywhere, but the girl...

“That woman...” He squinted, trying to place her... then it hit him. “There's no doubt about it.”

Shit, his rival was in great danger!

–

It was Sunday, and Anzu was on a mission as she made her way to the Mutou residence. “Looks like I'm going to have to say it straight out.” She said to herself as she walked. “Hmph, Yugi, that guy has always been wishy-washy!”

She didn't mean to speak ill of her dear friend, but there was something about that girl that felt so off! Why hasn't anyone else notice this? Why was she the only one to see that Risa was not good for Yugi?

When she got to the game shop, Grandpa had informed her that Yugi was currently in bed, sick apparently. “Well, it's not bad.” He continued to tell her.

“Then I'll go visit him.” She said, heading for the door that lead to the house. She already made her way inside before Grandpa could tell her that she probably shouldn't go up there, but... well... he wasn't going to be held responsible for whatever happened next.

Anzu quickly went up the stairs to Yugi's room, opening the door to find... well... _Risa_.

Shit! Why was she here?! This was not a good sign..!

“Hello!” Risa happily greeted her, though Anzu didn't return the greeting, instead she asked the dark haired girl while she was there. “Please be quiet, right now he just fell asleep.” Risa said softly as she rubbed a wet rag on Yugi's forehead. The boy was peacefully sleeping, though from his face, it was obvious that he was sick.

Risa spoke up about how the house didn't seem to have any cold medicine, to which Anzu replied that she would go get some!

She had left the house in a rush, going down to the local drug store to pick up some gold medicine for Yugi, wanting to do something good for him. And maybe to show up that darn girl while doing so, remind Yugi who his real friend is! However, when she went into the store, she didn't notice the dark haired girl with the sea foam eyes glaring at her with a wicked smile twisted on her face.

“I'm back!” Anzu said when she finally arrived back at Yugi's room, medicine in hand. She was surprised to find Yugi awake though, and Risa was still there.

“Ah, Anzu...” Yugi greeted weakly, a smile on his face.

“I already bought medicine.” Risa stated as she set down the glass Yugi had just taken a drink from.

This concerned Anzu. “When did you...?” She then noticed the new addition to the room.

“I just met her there!” Jounouchi happily announced. “I heard Yugi was sick.”

Yugi chuckled softly. “I'm fine.” He told them. “It's not that bad.”

“I heard you were Yugi's friend.” Risa spoke, referring to Jounouchi. “Oh, out of ice.” She said as she looked down at the bowl of water she had been using for Yugi's forehead.

Anzu, once again, said she'd go get the ice for them. And, like before, when she returned, it seems that Risa already had the item Anzu had just gotten! How in the world was she doing that?! Seems this time it was Honda who came with Risa when she 'went out and got ice'.

This was getting annoying! Uhg, well, Anzu brought up mandarins, saying she was going to go make a run for them. She ran out of the room, leaving a confused set of boys, and a smirking Risa.

While out purchasing the mandarins, Anzu rode an escalator, heading down to where the food stores were in the department store she had went into. Out of nowhere, she felt a cold chill in her body, then a hand slapped her hard on the back, sending her down the moving stairs. She hit the bottom with a thud, looking back at the jerk who did that.

Though she was startled to see a familiar face, and a set of disturbing sea foam eyes!

–

“Hey!” Anzu yelled, opening Yugi's door once more, her eyes focused only on the girl in the room. “What are you trying to do?!”

“What?” Jounouchi blinked, startled by Anzu's loud voice. “What's wrong, Anzu?”

“That pushed me down the supermarket escalator!” She gestured to Risa, pissed off beyond belief.

“Me?” Risa asked, playing innocent.

This only infuriated the brunette even more. “Don't pretend you don't know!”

Jounouchi told Anzu that Risa had been with them the whole time, she's never left the room. But... that was impossible, Anzu knew what she saw, and it was Risa at the store, it had to be her! “Is that true, Yugi?” She asked the sick boy.

Before Yugi could answer, Risa spoke up. “Don't worry about it. I have a face that you can see anywhere.”

'No way... then I missaw...?' Anzu thought, but that can't be true, right?

“I'm going home.” Risa spoke up, catching everyone's attention. “Yugi, I have a favor to ask. Uhh... this may be brazen of me, but... can I have something of Yugi's to always have on me?”

“Ah, but...” Yugi frowned, seeing her attention go to something on his desk.

“What's that?” She asked, pointing at his deck of Duel Monsters cards. The deck was handed to Yugi and he explained what the card were, showing them to her as he spread them out on his bed. “There's so many...” She commented, but her attention fell on one of them, the card Anzu had given Yugi days before.

“This is pretty!” She grinned, picking it up. “What a nice card! Can I have this to remember you?” She asked sweetly, though frowned when Yugi took it from her.

He sat back, smiling at the card. “I'm sorry, that's the only one that's off limits.” Well, okay, a few others were off limits, as they were Yami's cards, but this was his, and it was important. “Because it's something I received from someone important to me.”

Anzu's eyes widened as she heard those words. Yugi... thought of her as important to him?

“But... you can have any of the others.” Yugi sheepishly smiled at Risa.

“No. Never mind.” She huffed, rising up, a dark look crossed her face as she left the room. Anzu glared, watching her leave. “See you again.” Risa mumbled, closing the door behind her.

As the other three in the room talked about Risa leaving, Yugi's attention was on the card in his hand, he didn't mean to make her upset, but that card... it was a gift from a dear friend.

And speaking of friends, something was off with the other self. Yes, the puzzle was off right now, though still close to his bed, but Yami was so quiet. In fact, he basically went silent when Risa came to Yugi's room to take care of him. Did Yami not want to be around when Risa was in the room? But where is he now?

Yugi felt him in his chest, but he was too quiet, which wasn't a good sign...

–

Yugi stood outside of the shop, smiling at his three friends as the sunset painted the city in warm colors. “Thanks for today.” He smiled softly, he should be in bed, but he felt well enough to send them off.

“See you in school tomorrow.” Honda replied. “But don't overdo it, okay?”

“It's important to recover from a cold.” Jounouchi told him, grinning at his smaller friend.

Anzu huffed, turning to face Yugi. “Enough! Hurry back and sleep!” She ordered, it seems she was still annoyed about the whole Risa thing, but who could blame her?

“I'm fine.” Yugi informed her sweetly. “My temperature's gone down.” Nope, she wasn't taking that as an excuse, she told him to go back to bed, which he agreed to do. As he opened the door to the shop, he looked over his shoulder at her. “Anzu. Thanks for today.” He smiled sincerely at her before closing the door behind him.

As Yugi made his way back up to his room, he heard something odd. Shit, what was that? That can't be a good sign... He quickly made his way to his room, finding something at his desk, moving things about on it. “Who's there!?” He shouted, catching their attention. He was shocked to see... Risa?!

No, this wasn't her, she looked scary, evil! “Where is it?!” She screamed at him, making Yugi back up. His puzzle was across the room, he needed it, this would be a great time for the spirit to take over and deal with this weird problem...!

“The Violet Hekate card!” She hissed, seeing Yugi put a hand over his heart. “There?” She smirked, charging at him, grabbing a hold of the front of his sweater. “Give it to me!”

“I can't! Just not this!” Yugi yelled, before being thrown at his desk, knocking the contents on it all over the place. One of the objects of the desk crashed through his window, flying out. Anzu, Jounouchi, and Honda were still outside of the shop, seeing the object fly.

Yugi was in danger, they rushed back inside to see what happened!

This Risa look-alike pinned Yugi down, demanding he hand over that Duel Monsters card to her, she wasn't going to leave this place empty handed! She turned, glaring at the three who entered. While Honda and Jounouchi were stunned by the display, Anzu was furious.

In the chaos of everything, Yugi tried desperately to reach for the puzzle, just inches away from his hand. “Other Me...” He wheezed out.

_Yugi! Yugi! Touch the puzzle, I'll try to help..! Her magic is..._

Yugi was surprised to faintly hear his other half, his shadow shifting slightly. Wait, magic? Risa had magic?! Did she do something to the spirit when she came into the room earlier?! Is that why he was so quiet? He sounds weak right now... what did she do!?

He was even more determined to get the puzzle, but it seemed the crazed girl had noticed his attempts. Especially when he did get a hold of the rope, using it to swing the puzzle right at her, but she dodged. Yugi didn't feel the usual dizziness that came with Yami taking over, which meant that he wasn't able to!

Was her magic that strong? Stronger than the puzzle's powers?

Yami tried so hard to transfer himself into Yugi, to take over as he normally did. But her strange magic interfered with his tired state, his shadow magic was thrown off balance in the current state it was. This wasn't like when he played against Shadi, that magic was the same, this was something different, something new, compared to his ancient powers.

Yugi rushed over to Anzu and his friends, the brunette next to him continued to glare at the other girl, was it really Risa? “So, you were after the card this whole time.” Anzu frowned.

“I can't believe it...” Yugi mumbled, great, Yami and Anzu were right, this girl was bad news. Shit, he should have stopped her during that second meeting!

Risa just smirked, putting out a whip she had on hand. Where did that come from!? She laughed maniacally as she chased after the four kids. They had nowhere to run, as they tried to go outside, Risa was there! How did she get in front of them like that?!

They tried to go out the back door, but she was waiting for them out there as well! Jounouchi took a risk, rushing forward and tackling the Risa who was outside the back door, telling Anzu and Yugi to run, which they did.

He didn't keep her pinned for long, since she kicked him in the crotch. Well, it was worth a shot.

–

Anzu and Yugi ran, but Risa was still behind them. Then she was to the right of them, then to the left! There were three of them, triplets! And they were gaining on them fast, it only took moments for the two of them to be surrounded by these girls.

The whip shot out, wrapping around the cord of the puzzle. When it was pulled back, the whip ripped the cord and the puzzle off of Yugi, Risa caught it with a wicked smirk on her lips. “No! The Millennium Puzzle!” He cried out.

“Seems this is important to you.” Risa replied. “Well? Want to duel us? With this puzzle and Violet Hekate at stake?”

Yugi twitched, frowning. “I... have to...” The puzzle was his most prized treasure, and the Violet Hekate was a gift from his second oldest friend... “I have to do it.” He said, a look of confidence of his face.

-

The three Kageyama sisters brought Anzu and Yugi to their creepy home, down in the basement is where they would be hosting the duel. The sisters would be playing as one duelist against Yugi, hopefully he would win this. He was still trying his best on his own, still learning, he wished... that Yami could help him right now...

No, he had to do this on his own.

Yugi's deck was brought to him by Risa, who promised that she and her sisters did not tamper with it, as that is not their style. And yet she tampered with the magic of his puzzle, such wicked girls...

The boy frowned, looking at the cards in his hand. 'It's no use, they're all cards with weak attack points...' All he can do for now is play his cards in defense mood. He set his 'Sleeping Worm' card down, it's defense is 1700, which isn't too bad.

The sisters talked among themselves, saying how weak of a first move that was. The first card they played was the 'Red Hekart' card, just like it's Violet counterpart, it had the same attack and defense.

Yugi gasped, staring at the card. “I can't believe you have such a rare card!” This must be why Risa was after the Violet Hekart card! Even ore startling than this, was the fact that images of the cards came to life! The red witch attacked the Sleeping Worm, setting it ablaze above Yugi and Anzu's heads!

One of the sisters informed them that it was a holographic simulation. Yugi glared at them, moving to play his next cards. He played the card 'Clock Hands' to revive and turn his Sleeping Worm into 'Iron Beetle'.

“How cheeky.” One of the sisters smirked, throwing down her card, 'Yellow Hekart'! As they are part of a set, they have special abilities. When the sisters are on the field together, their attacks increase! The Iron Beetle is killed in a fire as it had been before.

Yugi watched his monster die before he felt light headed, his fever coming back at full force. “It's no use...” He mumbled, before falling over, Anzu was quick to catch him. Seems that he had passed out from the fever, this was not good, not good at all...

“The duel is as good as over.” One of the sisters said, another getting up to retrieve their prize.

“At last, the three witch sisters will be together.” Another one said.

“When shall it be?” Risa asked, that wicked look upon her face once more. “That we three can be seen again? Calm the disturbance. Winning and losing battle. And then...”

“Then let's finish this before sunset.” A new voice rang out in the room, the sound of footsteps heard with it before the figure approached them.

Yugi opened his eyes, looking at the new comer in his daze. That voice... he knew that voice anywhere...!

“Lines from Macbeth's three witches? It truly fits you.” The new comer was Kaiba, and he looked smug as ever, but there was a rage burning in his eyes. He wasn't exactly pleased that these three had kidnapped Yugi and challenged him to a duel, nor was he pleased that they believed they had beaten him, this duel was far from over. “Kagayama sisters.” He smirked as he looked at them.

“K-Kaiba...!” Yugi blinked, stunned to see him.

Kaiba turned his attention to the boy, noticing that, yes, this was Yugi, but not _his_ Yugi. He noticed the puzzle was not around Yugi's neck, shit, that means that this boy didn't have his other half to help him. Yep, looks like Kaiba is gonna have to finish this duel off. “Yugi. These three sisters are famous in the Duel Monsters world. They will use any method for obtaining cards they want.”

“Kaiba!” Risa glowered, how did he find them?!

The brunet scoffed, moving over to Yugi. “Well, why not let me take over this duel?” He asked, looking at the boy.

“You?” The sisters asked, what was he up to?

“If you win, you can have all my cards.” Kaiba replied, setting his briefcase on the table. “I'll even give you an advantage. The Violet Hekart card will be added to your deck.”

The sisters agreed and Kaiba sat where Yugi had been, placing his deck on the table. The duel started up once more. Kaiba's opening move was with 'Cyclops', 1200 attack monster. It was taken out by the first two witch sisters.

Kaiba wasn't bothered by this at all, for his next card was...

“The Blue Eyes White Dragon.” He smirked, holding up the card, the monster he had tried taking from Yugi weeks ago. “Attack power is 3000, making it the most powerful monster in the game.” The illusion of the Blue Eyes formed and it was beautiful, but deadly, as it should be.

“T-this is the rumored...” One of the sisters mumbled, staring at the great dragon across from them.

Risa smirked, not bothered by this. “But we have the trump card!” She played the Violet Hekart on the field next. When all three witches are on the field, they form to create a new, powerful monster. They become the legendary 'Gorgon' card, a 3000 attack monster. And since she is on the forest field of the playing mat, she gets a field power bonus of sorts. Even if they fight, the Gorgon will not die.

Yugi watched the dragon and the witch fight on the field, worried. He turned his attention to Kaiba, seeing the smirk on the other boy's face. Did... Kaiba have something planned?

Kaiba didn't seem bothered with any of this, in fact, he looked rather amused. He drew his next card, playing it on the field. It was another Blue Eyes White Dragon! He had two of them?!

The sick boy was shocked to see the second dragon appear, just as beautiful as its counterpart. He watched both of them attack the Gorgon with ease, killing her in one go. And with that, Kaiba won the duel.

“You did it!” Yugi cheered, smiling at the brunet.

“We lost...”

“Impossible!”

“The three Hekart sisters...!”

The three sisters were stunned by the turn of events, how did this happen!? How did Kaiba get two Blue Eyes?!

Yugi looked at Kaiba, frowning softly. “Kaiba, but... why?” Why did Kaiba help him out, he thought he hated him.

Kaiba stood up, glancing down at Yugi with piercing blue eyes, though the raging fire in them had smoldered. He didn't look at Yugi as he normally did, with that angry, burning stare that made Yugi uncomfortable and made Yami want to fight.

No, he just looked at him as if the Other Yugi hadn't sent him into a world of nightmares.

“You are a man who should not lose to these types.” Kaiba informed him, no malice in his words. He grabbed his briefcase, turning away from them to leave. “Don't forget!” He called back, stopping to look at Yugi out of the corner of his eye.  
  
“The one to defeat you... has to be me.”

He smirked, before laughing as he walked off.

–

“How are you feeling?” Yugi asked, toying with the puzzle a bit as he sat in bed. Risa had taken her spell off of it, from what Yugi knew. She lost the duel, fair and square. She returned the card and the now-unenchanted puzzle, though she was still pissed.

Anzu took him home and helped him to bed, even taking time to patch up the hole in the window with tape and a sheet of paper. Grandpa said someone could come in tomorrow and fix it. He looked at the puzzle, seeing Yami move on the comforter.

_I should be asking you that, you're sick and pushed yourself with that duel._

“I know, but I'm fine. You were the one who had his home enchanted with some weird witch magic! Did Risa even know you were in there?”

_I doubt it, she never noticed me, nor did her sisters. I think she just knew that the Millennium Puzzle has some form of magic, she must have thought it was a threat. So... she put a magic blocker of sorts on it, keeping me from really doing anything. It sucked, you were sick and miserable, and she wouldn't let me do anything with that stupid spell._

Yugi chuckled a bit. “Well, at least you're back. It was... a surreal fight. Kaiba actually helped me. And sure, he said that only he could defeat me, but... when he looked at me after the duel, the look for revenge, for a fight, it was... gone. He just looked at me like he did the day he came into the shop, before he saw the Blue Eyes White Dragon."

Yami tilted his head. _Really? Maybe one day he'll look at both of us with that look, and not with the look of malice I usually get from him._

The boy nodded, yawning. He set the puzzle down on his other pillow. “We should rest, I need to get better and you've got magic you need to get under control, I'm sure. Who knows what Risa's magic did to yours.”

_Heh, alright. Good night, Yugi, get better soon._

Yugi smiled, closing his eyes. He didn't want to ask Yami about why he felt jealous, maybe there's some things about his other half that are best left for him to decide if he should tell him or not. Though... he wondered if the jealousy was the same that he thought Anzu had felt...

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This... was A LOT longer than I expected. Uhg. Sixteen pages... I thought this would be a shorter chapter, even after all the stuff I cut out from the episode. Also, I just... do not want to edit this right now.
> 
> I will admit, I didn't mind writing Anzu for this chapter, even though she's not one of my favorites to write for. This was an interesting experience. And Yami, well, can you blame him for being jealous and protective? I mean, Yugi has this bad habit of attracting negative people to him, and Yami Yugi is going to include strange girls who send love letters to his favorite person. He's not jealous, he's just... protective. But hey, Yugi gets his very first hint that Yami has feelings for him, even if he doesn't understand this...! Oh Yugi... you are wishy-washy. 
> 
> Anyway... I figured that since Risa and her sisters are witches, they actually could use magic, and used a bit of their brand of magic on the puzzle. They don't know about Yami Yugi at all, they just knew that the puzzle had ancient magic that could be a threat to them if Yugi fought them.
> 
> Also, I have no fucking clue how Kaiba won the duel, Duel Monsters in season one is basically bullshit, there are no rules, you just throw shit down and hope for the best.
> 
> Next chapter: Kaiba didn't like how soft he was to Yugi when he helped him, looks like it's time to call upon the third Game Master to test him out.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please comment!


	17. Word Play of the Third Master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updates, I finally finished my finals and am in the process of moving out of my apartment.
> 
> But here we go, we're almost done with this story, we're halfway there! Chapter seventeen, wow, I haven't written this much for a story in years.
> 
> So this chapter doesn't involve Duel Monsters, only the first and fourth Game Masters play it. But enjoy this game anyway, it's gonna be hard to rewrite. Ironic, this was the seventeenth episode and now it's the seventeenth chapter. 
> 
> On with the fic!

The Third Game Master has arrived, maybe she will prove to be a challenge for the Other Yugi this time.

She had better not fail...

“You're late.” Kaiba glowered, watching her enter.

“I had to do a short game with a boring opponent.” The Game Master sighed, approaching his desk. “He was no fun.”

She smirked, looking at the brunet CEO. “Seto promised to introduce me to an opponent. I even came to Japan for this, what a side trip.” The young woman, Aileen Rao, huffed before sitting down. “So, who's the opponent this time?”

Kaiba ignored her question, turning on a television instead. The reporter on the screen spoke about how famous soccer player Hirada had to be hospitalized after an incident during the game he was playing. Another reporter brought up how supermodel Aileen had been with him before the game.

“Who cares about this news?” Aileen rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, what I want to show you is _this_ video.” Kaiba replied, hitting a button on the remote he held.

On the screen was footage and images of a young boy with gold, black, and magenta hair, and large orchid eyes. “Whose this kid?” She asked, watching the screen.

“Your next opponent.”

She frowned, getting up from the couch to glare at her boss. “Seto! You didn't forget why I am one of your Game Masters, did you? It's because you introduce me to smart or famous men as game opponents. Crushing this child won't be fun at all!”

Blue eyes narrowed. “He's no ordinary child. Look more carefully.” He gestured back to the screen.

The footage showed the boy once more, but he was... different. There was a different look to his expression, his eyes were harder, crimson in color. His hair was more wild, golden and black, but tipped in red instead of magenta.

This caught Aileen by surprise. “What?! He has a totally different feeling to him!”

“He's Yugi.” Kaiba explained, looking at the red eyed boy on the screen, the bane of his existence, but someone who sets his soul aflame with a passion he couldn't understand. “When he plays games, he becomes strong.”

“Oh? This seems pretty good.”

“Two Game Masters have already lost to him.”

“And you?”

Kaiba glowered once more. “Even I have lost to him in a game.” And he saw something that still haunts him to this day...

Aileen was actually shocked by this. “At Duel Monsters? Heh, I'm getting excited... so he's the real thing? Nice, I want to crush him.”

“Then go!” The other spoke. “Those are your orders.”

–

“Look, look, look! I finally got it!” Anzu happily announced, waving something back and forth in front of her face. “It's Aileen Rao's super exercise!”

Yugi blinked, looking at the video tape in her hands. “Who's Aileen Rao?”

Anzu gasped. “What are you saying?! She's a nineteen year old exciting supermodel! Aileen Rao!”

Both Yugi and his shadow seemed confused still. “Hmm...?”

“I know her too.” Grandpa spoke up, looking at Yugi. “Seems she's come to Japan. Seems she's escaped the press, it's all hushed up.”

The brunette girl put her hands on Yugi's shoulders, looking down at him. “See! Even your grandpa knows. So what are you doing?!”

Yugi blushed, nervous. He shrugged a bit. “Grandpa has too much free time, so he watches variety shows.”

“What do you mean 'free time'?!” Grandpa complained. “I just saw it between work.”

The boy frowned, darn it, he wasn't gonna win this. And, like always, the snickering of his other half was of no help to him at all! Just for that, they were NOT gonna play Duel Monsters tonight! “She's that famous?” Yugi asked, ignoring his shadow.

Anzu perked up, looking starstruck. “Aileen was originally a dancer! She's also appeared in Broadway musicals! She's my idol!” She happily said, moving about as she explained. “This video shows Aileen's dancing and how she gets those proportions! I'm going to do a lot of exercise!”

The door opened and Grandpa called out, greeting the customer. The person to step in was a woman, her dark skin and hairstyle showed that she was not from Japan, was she a tourist?

Anzu blinked, quietly commenting on how she had such great proportions. The woman approached Anzu, looking down at her and spotting her tape. She held out her hand and Anzu handed it to her, watching as this stranger took the tape and signed it with a pen she had.

When she handed it back, Anzu saw the signature, seeing that it read. 'Aileen Rao'. “A signed version would make it better.” The woman smirked, removing her shades. Anzu freaked out, it's her! Aileen! Her idol!

Yugi and Yami looked at her, a bit surprised. Yami tilted his head, hmm... he sensed something from her, but he couldn't place it...

Aileen turned to the counter, approaching it. “If you have any rare games, I'd like to see them.” She spoke to Grandpa.

“What kind of games do you like?” He asked her.

She gave this some thought. “I don't like ones that rely on luck. Ones where you read and trick each other are good.”

Grandpa frowned, crossing his arms. “This is a difficult order.” As he thought this over, Aileen turned to Yugi and Anzu, her attention on the latter. She asked him what kind of games he was good at.

“Me?” Yugi smiled. “I like all games!” Aileen blinked, but smiled sweetly at this. Hm, this boy was really cute, strange how he goes from this to that boy with the air of a king to him when he played.

“Aileen Rao!” Anzu announced, grinning. “Why are you in a place like this?!”

“What do you mean 'a place like this'?!” Grandpa pouted. “Although she is the hot chick who I saw on television...”

Anzu looked up at the taller woman, her eyes wide as she blushed. “Umm... I... um...” She was so starstruck right now, it was kind of cute. “I'm your biggest fan, Ms. Aileen!”

“Right, right.” Aileen blinked, glancing at Yugi. “Is she your girlfriend?”

Yugi's face burned at this. “No... uh... Anzu isn't...” He didn't see the smirk that formed on Aileen's lips, but Yami did.

She pulled something from her shirt, a piece of paper. “This is where I'm staying.” She said, handing the paper to Anzu. “You're my fan, I'll show you around!”

“Okay!” Anzu smiled. “I definitely accept!”

The foreign woman smiled, glancing back at Yugi once more. “And you too.”

“Me too?” Yugi frowned, really? Huh, how strange.

“Yes, find an interesting game and bring it, please.”

Neither Yugi nor Anzu knew what was going to happen, but Yami had an idea that something might occur where he'd have to step in...

He felt this strange feeling before, but he couldn't place where and when...

–

Anzu blinked, looking up at the large building. “Wow! Supermodels are so different...” She mumbled to herself. She turned when she heard her name being called, seeing that Yugi had finally caught up with her. He looked exhausted, carrying several shopping bags with him.

“Carry some of these!” He whined.

She shook her head. “No, sorry, the flowers would get crushed.” She replied, gesturing to the flowers she held in her arms. Yugi just sighed loudly, moving to follow her into the building.

They soon found where Aileen's apartment was, knocking on the door. It only took a moment for her to open the door, seeing the two teenagers. She was dressed in a beautiful outfit, obviously Indian inspired. She welcomed them inside and began to show them around. “What a lovely room.” Anzu commented as they walked into a decorated room.

“An acquaintance I know in Japan arranged it for me.”

“Ms. Aileen is half Canadian and half Indian, right?”

Aileen nodded, looking at the Hindu-inspired art around the room. “Yes, my tastes are similar to my father's. That's why this room is like this.”

“Umm...” Yugi spoke up, shifting his arms. “Where should I put this?” Aileen told him to leave the bags on a table in the room. While he did that, Anzu happily gave the flowers she had been holding to the dancer, who took them, thanking her.

Yugi began to unpack the bags, showing Aileen the games he had brought that Grandpa had looked through. “Grandpa said to try this one.” He said as he placed a game box onto the table. “But putting the board together will take some time.”

“Can you please put it together so that I can see?” The older woman asked.

Yugi smiled, nodding, as he opened the box to get right to work. In the meantime, Aileen offered to show Anzu her dance studio in the apartment. The studio could be seen through a glass window in the room they were in, it stretched across a wall, showing the mirrored walls inside.

Anzu entered and moved to get into a dance pose that Aileen instructed her to get into. She held onto the pole on the mirror wall, standing on one foot while the other was raised behind her. “Like this?” She asked.

Aileen smiled, leaning down close to her ear, her tone of voice changed. _“Hold that pose, okay?”_

In an instant, something happened, Anzu... went blank, freezing completely still.

–

Leaving the studio, Aileen had found that Yugi had finished putting together the game. She looked at him, before locking the door to the studio, so no one could get into it, or out of it.

Yugi frowned, tilting his head. He felt a shiver run up his spine. “Ms. Aileen...?”

“What an honest and good kid.” Aileen spoke softly. “She's so honest that she took my suggestion immediately.” She looked through the window, seeing that Anzu was still standing in the pose she left her in. “She can't move anymore, not even if she gets tired. All she can do is hold that pose.”

Gasping, Yugi rushed to the window, looking it at his friend. “Anzu! Anzu!” He screamed.

“It's no use. The Wall is soundproof and that's a magic mirror. She can't hear our voices and she can't see anything.”

“But why?!”

Aileen looked down at him, smirking. “If you want to save her, you have to beat me in a game.”

“It can't be...” Yugi mumbled, looking at her. Yami got that weird feeling again, he had felt it at least twice before... there was a look in her eyes he's seen before.

Wait!

He knew what that feeling and look was! He HAD felt it twice before, with Sheldon and Fuwa!

_Damnit! Other Me, she's working for Kaiba!_

As if hearing the voice of the spirit of the puzzle, Aileen announced that, yes, she was one of Kaiba's Game Masters! She was the third of four! “I challenge you to a game! And it's raijinhai!”

“Raijinhai...?” Yugi frowned, feeling slightly dizzy.

Aileen gestured to a strange box on another table. “It's a game passed down the Rao family. It's a game like shogi.”

“I don't know that game!” He doubted the spirit knew of the game either, but then again, Yami knew more than he let on sometimes...

“The rules are simple.” Aileen rolled her eyes. “You'll learn them quickly. But in this game... the loser loses something important. In your case, it might be that girl!”

Yugi looked back through the glass, banging on the window, yelling her name again, before hearing Aileen continue. “If you want to save her, you'll have to beat me.”

The boy looked back at her, before turning to see Anzu. He could see the blank expression on her face, it reminded him too much of what Shadi had done, when he turned her into a doll... no! He wasn't going to let that happen again, his friends should never be used as pawns against him! Damn you, Kaiba! He thought he was going to stop this, what was that look from the other day for?!

“Now...” Aileen spoke softly. “Let's begin.”

Yugi dropped his hands to his side, his back to her. The room turned dark all of a sudden, and ice cold, like she was in a void. A bright, golden glow came from Yugi and he turned around, illuminated by the light for a moment, before the dancer stared at the boy she had seen in the video footage.

The confident stance of a king, the eyes of a demon.

This is him, the Other Yugi.

“ _You want to play a game with me so badly that you'll take Anzu as a hostage?”_ He growled, showing his emotions in his voice.

She chuckled, narrowing her eyes. “So, you finally show your true self.”

“What will you lose if you're the loser?” 'Yugi' asked, staring at her with those burning eyes, such a drastic change from that sweet boy she had taunted moments before.

“I've never lose before, so I don't know.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Hm. If I win, you will set Anzu free.”

Aileen nodded, taking a seat at the table, gesturing for him to do the same. “Of course! So, let me explain the rules!”

“There are ten pieces.” She started, setting small statues onto the table. “Two soldiers. Two cavalry. Two elephants. Shogun. King. Queen. One each.” She set the last piece down on the table. “And Raijin. Indra.”

He is the strongest, while the soldier is the weakest piece, she said, before telling him to pick a piece. 'Yugi' picked up the elephant and set it on the colorful box that served as the game board. “We'll each piece a piece and duel them.” She picked up a piece, setting it in front of the elephant. “The shogun is stronger than the elephant, so the elephant loses.”

She picked up the elephant, setting him aside. “The shogun won, so he can return to his camp. If you win, you can sent it out as often as you want.”

“And in a draw?” The darker Yugi asked.

“Both die in battle.” Aileen explained simply. “There are two exceptions. The queen can only beat the king. Indra is invincible. He can beat anything, but he can only be used once. He isn't returned to camp.”

“How is the match decided?” 'Yugi' asked, trying to keep his cool. This game was so strange to him, but he was a quick learner, and besides, he's created stranger games on a whim before.

Aileen leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “There are several variations, but... let's go with the easiest one. The first to lose the king loses.”

'Yugi' blinked, picking up one of his pieces. “King? This?”

“Yes, and this game board as a device. This gate is set up so you can set your figure without your opponent seeing.” She flipped a switch on her side of the board. Two wooden 'gates' popped up, clapping together to create a divide between the two of them. She set a piece down before hitting the switch again, causing the dividers to split.

“Flip the switch, then it opens to show each other's pieces.” She smiled at him. “I'll wait for you to draw up a plan. It's your first time playing, after all.”

'Yugi' glanced over at the glass wall, seeing Anzu. Yugi was so worried about her, so scared, the Other Yugi had to protect her, for him. He turned back to Aileen, a determined look on his face. “Let's begin. It's game time.”

**GAME START**

The gates went up, hiding Aileen from him. She told him to pick a piece, then setting it in front of his side of the gate. “Okay.” He replied simply, looking down to pick his piece.

She frowned. 'No expression on his face. I compliment you for that, but...' She set the elephant down. “I would like to take a guess before we open it, yes? Your piece is the cavalry.”

'Yugi' blinked, twitching a bit. She smirked, she knew it. “Open.” The gates dropped, showing that, yes, she was right. The elephant is stronger than the cavalry, so 'Yugi' lost his piece. The next round began, and like before, she asked to guess his piece. “You're thinking I'm cheating somehow.” She said, seeing the look on his face. His expression was blank, but his eyes revealed a lot.

“The next match.” He replied, refusing to give her a proper response.

The gates fell, showing their pieces. Once again, she won the match. “The king?” The Other Yugi frowned, looking at her piece.

“You're thinking that again.” Aileen spoke as she took his piece off the board. “This is my room, and I set up the Raijinhai game. I'm going to win without any tricks.”

'Yugi' just stared at her quietly, it was a bit unsettling. “Perhaps I know everything you're thinking.” Aileen spoke, the gates went up again.

“Of course that can't be true.” 'Yugi' frowned, she was toying with him, playing mind tricks. People had great skills in speaking, simple phrases and words could cause doubt and problems for other people. Look what she did to Anzu, a simple set of words and now she was a doll. He huffed, setting down his next piece.

Aileen blinked. “Oh, wait, I think I'll go with this.” She said, setting down a different piece than the one she had before.

The gates dropped, once again, 'Yugi' lost the match. “Your army has no more cavalries.” The dancer commented, removing the loser piece from the field. “And no more shoguns either.”

Yami Yugi frowned softly, thinking to himself. 'Am I giving off hints for what I'm choosing? Is she reading me?' This could be more than just word manipulation at work here. He was going to do his best to not let anything show. He set down his next player, the gates dropped. This turn ended in a draw, as they both had played soldiers. Aileen was a bit surprised by that, huh, they had played the same pieces this round.

“Next!” 'Yugi' called out.

The next round was a cavalry against a queen, once again, 'Yugi' lost one of his few ways of taking out the king.

'I'm just one step closer to losing...' 'Yugi' winced, shit, she was tougher than Sheldon and Fuwa. 'To avoid losing, I have to hold out through simultaneous deaths. She has her queen and Indra, why am I having such a hard time...?'

Aileen smirked, watching him quietly overthink. 'Keep fretting, boy. I'll give you a chance to see how strong you are.”

“Open!” 'Yugi' called out, watching the divider go down once again. “Double death.” Another draw, the both lost their pieces. The kings both died, meaning the game ended in a draw.

“For the first one, let's just call it a draw.” Aileen spoke as she looked at the board. “But since you don't lose anything, you don't retrieve anything either. The current rules will probably lead to a draw. Let's use the formal rules.”

The darker Yugi turned, looking over at Anzu, before looking back at her. “Okay, as long as we come to a conclusion.”

The dancer nodded, moving to pour herself a glass of tea. “In a situation where both sides lose... the one with more pieces left wins. But Indra and the queen aren't added to those numbers.”

“Okay.”

“Depending on how this game proceeds, you might lose her.” She sat down, glancing over at the studio. “See the door in the room? My pet tiger is in there.”

There was a metal gate in there, behind Anzu. “Each time you lose a piece, the door opens, bit by bit. It's a tiger that only likes me, he would probably attack her.”

'Yugi' glared at her. “Stop it! This is in bad taste!”

“In ancient Raijinhai, life and death were at stake!” Aileen explained. “Now, let's begin!”

The next round did not end in 'Yugi's' favor, he lost his first piece. The gate in the room opened slightly. 'Why did she put the king out already? Because I can't put it out? No... it's not that I can't put out a piece that can defeat a king. The problem is how can she make these decisions?'

Aileen watched him carefully, raising an eyebrow. 'His aura has changed.' She smirked. 'If it didn't this wouldn't be interesting.' She decided to toy with him more. “Can't see your girlfriend in danger?” She asked, watching him look away from the studio, his eyes closed.

The boy scoffed. “That's not good, you have to properly see.” She said, a little annoyed.

'Why is she showing me Anzu?' He thought. 'Why did she take Anzu hostage? If she's one of Kaiba's Game Masters... then I would have surely faced her at any time. What is the purpose of putting Anzu in danger?'

Aileen did it so he would worry, be fretful, it worked to her advantage. When he was distracted, she could tell what moves he was going to make!

He glared at her, damnit! Why is she doing this?! 'It can't be... that this is your trick.' He sighed, closing his eyes once more.

“What is it?” She asked him.

“If I'm an ineffective commander,” As Aileen had commented when she took his shogun away, “then I have no way of winning. Better to leave it to luck.”

Blindly, 'Yugi' grabbed a piece, having no clue of what he had picked up. “This will do.” He sighed once more.

“That's a bluff.” Aileen frowned, watching him from across the table. “You lose your shogun, you're at a disadvantage. Raijinhai isn't so easy that you can win that way.”

“I let luck choose the piece for me.” 'Yugi' replied, opening his eyes. There was a burning in those crimson pools, confidence, he was serious about this. Aileen didn't like that she couldn't tell what he was thinking, what piece he had picked.

This isn't good...

“Now... hurry and pick yours.” He glared, still holding on tight to his piece. “Before opening, let me guess. You picked the elephant.”

“What?!” She gasped, eyes widening.

“I can see your trick...”

“Guesswork? Or are you cheating?” She nervously asked.

He straightened up, that look still in his eyes. “I remembered. You said you like games where you read and trick each other, not ones relying on luck.”

“So what?”

“Raijinhai is a game based on probability and tactics, as well as reading your opponent's thinking.”

The older woman smirked. “Very good. You already understand the basic notion of Raijinhai.”

“That's the problem.” Yami Yugi spoke, watching her. “If you limit your opponent's thinking... it becomes easier to read them. You limited me by putting Anzu in danger. And you know my gaming ability from Kaiba.”

“So?”

“It's my first game, but... there's a way to keep me from figuring out the basic tactics of Raijinhai. However, it requires prudent tactics. Taking Anzu hostage was the only way.”

Aileen didn't like the attitude he had taken on, this wasn't good at all. “Open!” She called out, flipping the switch. The elephant and the cavalry were the choices made. “See! I win!” She smirked, he was just bluffing.

“Look, an elephant as I said.” He spoke so calmly, his face so neutral, but that burning in his eyes...

“You guessed!” Aileen exclaimed.

“To counter my randomly picked piece... you have no way to decide whether to pick a king, queen, or Indra. There's a one in nine chance that I will pick a king. So, since I don't have a shogun, you sent the elephant. It's the best choice based on probability and tactics.”

Aileen was shocked, he had read that far into her thinking?! He really was good at games, Kaiba wasn't lying...

“Am I wrong?” He challenged, staring at her.

She wasn't going to take this attitude from a brat like him. “Think what you want. But you ended up losing another piece. Look, the door opens again.”

'Yugi' looked into the other room, seeing the gate opening up a little more, seeing the paws of the tiger. “You don't have the luxury of losing pieces!”

The boy turned back to face her, seeing how cocky she has gotten. He'll have to change that. “I have chosen a strategy for beating you. I can read your mind.”

'That can't be.' Aileen thought, the room felt a little colder, like when Yugi had turned into this Other Yugi. 'No one can understand my mind!'

The next round went to Aileen. “I win!” She announced, but 'Yugi' pointed out that she had won because she used Indra, the trump card, and to the weakest opponent, the soldier. Such a waste.

Aileen was feeling uncomfortable, how did he read her move? He made her play her strongest piece, using it against the weakest one. It really was a waste of a move...

'Yugi' looked up at her, eyes focused only on her, as if he was looking right at her soul. “I'm not cheating, nor are there any tricks. I also don't have some supernatural powers for reading minds, as far as I know. I'm just reading the probabilities and strategies. All you can do is decide based on your opponent's words.”

She narrowed her eyes at the boy. “But you don't have an established tactic. Raijinhai has two thousand years of tactics behind it.”

The next round began, in favor of 'Yugi' this time, the king defeats the elephant.

“ _The origin of games...”_ 'Yugi' started as he set the elephant aside, _“came from ancient Egypt. The Door of Darkness has been opened...”_

The room was like a freezer now, this boy... he was so different from before, even in this form... it disturbed Aileen right to the core. He was different from anyone she has ever played a game against...

“Open!” 'Yugi' called out at the start of the next round, the gate went down, showing the pieces.

Aileen had played the king, 'Yugi' had played the queen.

Her eyes widened as she saw the pendant around the Other Yugi's neck glow gold once more. _“I have over five thousand years of Egypt's knowledge.”_ He informed her, the glowing died down.

**GAME OVER**

The dancer rose from her seat, turning away from him. She opened a curtain, looking outside. “I... lose, don't I?” She asked quietly.

'Yugi' rose from his own seat, watching her. “There's one question left. Raijinhai may have a long history... but it does not give you power to manipulate people. Did you use hypnotism on Anzu?”

“I just use words to get into the crevices of people's hearts.” Aileen replied. “Confused by those words... when they lose the game, they lose something. They lose the weakness in their own heart.”

“Even though you lost the game, you didn't really lose something. So it was just a good strategy.” It was basically a thing to do to mess with the mind, make someone overthink and worry, a simple trick people used all the time.

Though, he could understand why he had worried, he felt Yugi's weakness for Anzu, and it mixed with his own need to protect Yugi and the people he cared for, to keep them safe. He fought to save Anzu mainly because of Yugi's desire for her to be safe, though he would have protected her on his own anyway, she is a person he did care about, just like Yugi's other friends and family.

Aileen sighed. “No... I lost something.” She turned, walking across the room.

“Lost?” 'Yugi' questioned, watching her carefully. “What?”

She approached the door to the studio, unlocking it. “I also have a mystery. When you closed you eyes to pick a piece, was that really random?”

“That was the only way.” Yami Yugi replied. “It was so I could read your strategy. I've fought many strong opponents before, but you were especially strong, Aileen.” He said in all honesty.

She looked at him, smiling softly at his words. “Thank you.” Aileen opened the door, letting 'Yugi' into the studio.

“Anzu!” He shouted, running in. “It's okay now!” As soon as he approached her, she suddenly backhanded him hard across the cheek, knocking him down.

“Stop it! Anzu!” Yugi whined, wow, that stung!

Anzu pouted, standing upright as she looked down at her orchid eyed friend on the ground. “What are you doing, Yugi? Ms. Aileen! Yugi got in the way! She was giving me a lesson!”

“That's enough, Anzu.” Aileen spoke up. “Don't forget the basics, okay?”

“Okay!” Anzu smiled at her idol.

Yugi stood up, now it was his turn to pout. “That hurt, Anzu! What are you doing?!”

“It was your fault for interrupting.”

“No... how mean!” And just after the other him had helped save her, right?!

–

“A complete loss? Furthermore at your specialty, Raijinhai.”

“He was strong.”

“You are no longer worthy of being part of Kaiba's Game Masters.”

“Seto... he's stronger than you!”

“Get lost!”

_Damn you, Other Yugi...! Don't think it ends here!_

_There is still one Game Master left, and he is the strongest of them all... just you wait, I will get my revenge on you shortly..._

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a surprisingly huge lack of characters to write for this chapter, I literally only wrote for six characters, and two of them share one body!
> 
> This is the second to the last episode chapter, the last one will contain the final Game Master. All other chapters, including the next one, are manga based. The next time I will use the anime after the last Game Master episode, it will be for the side story based around season four, and the movie (yes, Dark Side of Dimensions will be rewritten)
> 
> Also, wow, Yami Yugi getting fucking backhanded so hard he turned into Yugi. That was... weird.
> 
> Next chapter: Capsule Monsters is a new, popular game among young players and Yugi, of course, loves it! However, he isn't prepared to make a new enemy out of the game, an enemy with a very familiar name...
> 
> I'll try to update this week, but I'll be busy with unpacking and stuff here at my parents' place, but we'll see. Also, heads up, I'm starting work next week for the summer, so updates will be random, but since they're manga based, they won't take as long to write.
> 
> Thanks for reading, don't forget to comment! I love hearing feedback!


	18. Capsule Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a manga chapter, and one of my favorite games that Yami Yugi has played.
> 
> Here we are, we're just a few chapters away from the start of Death-T (which will span a few chapters, so heads up there), and to start it off, we're gonna have to be introduced to Mokuba.
> 
> Warning: punk ass elementary school kids threaten a sixteen year old boy with guns, tasers, and knives just to get him to play a game of Capsule Monsters.
> 
> What the fuck, Mokuba?
> 
> On with the fic!

“There's this candy store on the way home from school, it's always got a crowd of kids around it. They're fighting over one particular coin machine...” Yugi mumbled to his shadow as he walked down the street.

 _And what is in the coin machine?_ Yami asked, having not been paying much attention to the coin machines that Yugi often visited on a weekly basis. After the first dozen times, he stopped caring and just let Yugi have his fun. They never really interested him, and often, Yugi just did it more for himself than anything else. A bit of silent joy, not much for anyone else but him.

However... there was something Yugi has been getting from the coin machines that have gotten his attention recently. The smile on his other half's face told the spirit that it was a new game he had gotten into in the past week.

Capsule Monsters! (Capmon for short) It's the biggest thing with elementary school and junior high school kids! At least, according to Yugi, those were his words when he first showed Yami what he had gotten into days before.

Each egg shaped capsule has a different toy monster inside, there are over 250 different monsters. The number shown on the egg tells the level of the monster, one through five.

The game is played like chess! Two players pick five of their best monsters, and pit them against one another. The monsters fight on an 8x8 board that is supposed to be the mythical planet Garnaster.

To win the game, you have to defeat all your enemies monsters. The game requires a lot of strategy, and knowing what your monsters are capable of doing helps big time. And since you don't get to see your opponent's monsters until the game beings, you have to rely on wit and skills.

 _It's the Capsule Monsters one, yes?_ The spirit asked, watching Yugi approach a line of children outside of the candy shop. Judging by the chatter of the young children in line, seems like it was.

Yugi nodded, smiling as he stood in line, only for a kid to shove past him, taking his spot. “Hey! I'm next! No cutting in line!” Yugi huffed, glaring at the boy.

The kid scoffed, looking bored. “'Cutting'? You were just spacing out. Besides, aren't you in high school? I mean... you don't look like it, but... you're too old to play Capmon!”

Oh boy, this kid just had to go there, didn't he? Bring up the height thing and the age thing... fuck this little punk! Yugi glared, trying to smile, but it was obvious he was beyond annoyed. “Haha... listen, age doesn't mean anything to a real gamer!”

Yami rolled his eyes while he sat in his soul room, annoyed with that little kid's behavior to his other half. _What a brat!_

The kid still looked bored, stepping aside. “If you want it that much, then you can go first. This time.”

“Gee, thanks a lot.” Yugi clucked his tongue, giving the kid a nasty look before he dug into his pocket, taking out a 100 yen coin. He slipped it into the slot and turned the knob, only for nothing to come out. “What?! Where's the capsule!? It ate my money!”

He grabbed a hold of the machine and began to shake it violently. “Come on, you stupid machine! Gimme my capsule!” He screamed, ignoring the jeers of the boys watching him. However, he didn't ignore the sudden strike to his head from a very pissed off old man.

“Hey kid! Don't hit the machine!” The old man yelled. “You think I'll let you break it just because you lost a hundred yen?! This machine is expensive! It's worth more than you are!” The old man is the candy store owner, the kids in the area call him 'Old Man Dentures'.

“S-Sorry...” Yugi mumbled, rubbing his head. What the hell, the machine stole his money, so why did he have to apologize!

As Dentures yelled at Yugi, someone approached the candy shop. A few of the kids turned, seeing the boy who had arrived with his gang.

“Hey... isn't that...?!”

“No way! It's Kaiba!”

“The Capsule Monsters champion!”  
  
The boy smirked, looking up at the oldest of the group of students. “Hey, Yugi!”

Yugi blinked, turning to see this newcomer. He and his spirit companion stared at him, the boy was about Yugi's height, but much younger. His hair was long and black, and his eyes were a grayish blue, but there was a familiar look to them.

Yugi couldn't place it, but Yami had a strong feeling he knew who this kid was related to...

“You're Mutou Yugi, aren't you?” The boy asked, the smirk still on his lips. “Hehehe... don't rack your brain! You don't know me! This is the first time we've met, but I know all about you! You know Kaiba Seto, don't you? He's my big brother!”

Orchid eyes widened. This boy was Kaiba's brother?! He had no idea! Kaiba never spoke about his family when he was in school! Actually, now that Yugi thought about it, Kaiba never spoke much in class anyway, and he certainly didn't now, as he wasn't attending anymore. “I get it!” Yugi spoke, blinking. “You must be Kaiba's...” He was suddenly cut off by the scoff the younger Kaiba gave.

“My brother masters any game he plays. He's my hero. I can't believe that a little shrimp like you actually beat him... I thought you might be cool, but I guess I was wrong!”

Yugi frowned, but felt Yami's strong emotions of caution. He glanced at his shadow, hearing him speak. _It's strange, the other kids have been quiet since Kaiba's brother got here... be careful, something doesn't feel right._

The boy smirked at Yugi. “I'm pretty good at Capmon. I won the last tournament. What about you, Yugi? It looks like you play too.”

“Well... I'm not that good! I just started playing a little while ago!”

There was a chuckle from the younger Kaiba. “Don't be so modest... GET HIM!”

Suddenly, Yugi was swarmed, the other kids were all around him, brandishing weapons! Guns, knives, tasers?! “Where did you get those from?!” Yugi yelped, feeling Yami panic.

“Those are my followers.” The younger Kaiba said, looking rather wicked right now. “Don't even think of trying to escape.” After tossing a large wad of money at Dentures to pay for the Capsule Monsters machine, he turned to the older boy. “Alright, Yugi! I'm going to take you someplace special! Aren't you excited?!”

'This is it, big brother! You will be avenged!'

–

Yugi frowned, feeling nervous while Yami felt tense in the warehouse that Kaiba had brought them to. He was NOT a fan of warehouses, and even in this situation... well... he really didn't want to be here, at all.

“This is our secret hideout!” The long haired boy stated. “Now do you get it? You have to play Capsule Monster chess with me!” Yugi figured as much, considering he was surrounded, and was sitting down in front of a game board for the game.

“Please take it easy on me...” Yugi mumbled, only for the gang of boys to get into his personal space, making him uncomfortable and pissing off the spirit.

“What is this guy?” A mousy-looking kid snorted. “Are all high schoolers this wussy? You got something to say, skinny?!”

“You mess with us, and we'll burn your house to the ground!” Said another one.  
  
The mousy kid reached out towards Yugi. “Look at this stupid necklace! Let's smash it!” As soon as he placed his hand on the puzzle, there was a quick flash, the puzzle felt burning hot to the touch.  
  
_“Get your filthy hands off the puzzle, you little fucks!”_ 'Yugi' screamed, a very dark look was on his face as he stared down the two kids with his crimson eyes. No little brats were allowed to touch the puzzle! He would break their hands if he could, but right now, he had a bigger annoyance to deal with.

The boys backed off, feeling like the room was suddenly a freezer now. “K-Kaiba...!” One of the other boys in the warehouse spoke up. “H-he's not the same anymore!”  
  
The younger Kaiba didn't seem affected, or at least from how he presented himself. “That's okay! I know what's up. My brother told me about it... he said Yugi turns into a different person when he games. **That's** the Yugi I want to beat!”

'Yugi' grinned, his eyes narrowed. He knew this boy tried to act brave, but those eyes of his revealed hints of fear and worry. He may be related to the older Kaiba, but this kid clearly didn't have the same air of confidence at the brunet does. “Quit bragging and let's play!” This game wouldn't take long, he just knew this cocky, little brat was all talk and no bite.

“I've chosen Battlefield 7, 'Crisis Hill'.” Kaiba stated, gesturing to the board. “It's the board I do best at!”  
  
“Prepare your Capsule Monsters! You can use any level you like!” The Other Yugi replied, keeping his smug smile on his face, just to tease this kid.

“Hehe...” Kaiba glanced over at the capsule machine. “That's why I brought the coin machine! If I used my regular collection, there wouldn't be any challenge!” He turned to one of the boys, demanding he take turns drawing capsules, first 'Yugi', than Kaiba, in that order, until they each had five.

'Yugi's' line up was three level ones, a two, and a four. Kaiba had two fours and three fives.

Kaiba was pleased with the results, as he should be, considering that the machine was rigged! He had even paid Dentures to act his part! This whole thing was set up for Yugi to fail! “But before we get going... this game needs some danger to make it interesting!” He picked up a switchblade. “If you lose, I cut off your finger with this!”

The Other Yugi raised an eyebrow, amused by such a childish thing. This wasn't a threat, he's had worse, hell, he's bet his own life several times now. “Okay, but if I win, you have to play a penalty game as punishment!”

The younger boy smirked, this was gonna be good.

The two players set their pieces down on the field, getting them ready for the match. “Let's go, Yugi!” Kaiba announced.

“ **Game start!”**

At the signal, the capsules were removed, revealing the pieces. On Kaiba's side, he had 'Head Sucker' level five, 'Gumbo' level five, 'Cobrada' level four, 'Dinosaur Wing' level five, and 'The Skull' level four.

On 'Yugi's' side, he had 'Torigun' level two, 'The Great Pa' level four, 'Eye Mouth' level one, 'Flower Man' level one, and 'Devil Castle' level one. All but Torigun was set up together, the bird was way off to the side, away from the four other pieces. Kaiba found this set up to be that of a beginner! What a dumb move! He decided to make the first move.

'Yugi' looked up at Mokuba, a wicked smile on his lips. “Just so you know, this is a Shadow Game!”

“Hmph! I knew this game would be special!” Kaiba grinned. “Then I'll make sure to attack right away!” He said, moving one of his pieces, Gumbo.

“Then I'll met you head on!” The darker Yugi set down one of his own pieces in front of Kaiba's. It was Eye Mouth, a level one, against a level five.

Kaiba laughed at this. “Stupid! You came at me with a love level monster! I'll show you who's the better player! Fight!”

The two pieces of the field seemed to come to life, moving on their own in front of the two players. Gumbo lifted his ax and sliced right through 'Yugi's' piece. “BWAHAHAHA! One down, four to go!” Kaiba grinned, only for him to see the amused look on 'Yugi's' face.

“Hehehe...”

“W-what are you laughing at?! You're the one who lost!”

The older boy still looked amused, his eyes burning. “I'll teach you the rules of gaming. No matter the circumstances, always act like you have the upper hand! That's rule number one!”

“Y-you think you can teach me?!”

“Stay cool at all times. That's rule number two.”

As Kaiba glared at him, unsettled by how relaxed 'Yugi' was, the wild haired boy reached for one of his pieces, The Great Pa. “Now I'll go on the offensive.” He watched as his figure went up against another level four, resulting in them both dying. “Now I'm left with three monsters... and Kaiba has four.” All part of the plan though...

Kaiba grinned, getting his composure back. “Moron! Even if I lost one monster, I'm still going to beat you!”

Two more of 'Yugi's' monsters were destroyed in the next few turns, resulting in the older boy only having his single monster left, while Kaiba had four remaining.

“HAHAHAHA!” Kaiba laughed, grinning wildly. “You have one monster left! You can't fight any of mine! I win!” What has his brother been worrying about for so long?! This kid was so easy to beat! Seto and his Game Masters have lost their touch!

“Hehehe..."

God damnit! Why is 'Yugi' laughing now?! “What's so funny?! Don't tell me that laugh's a stupid rule too!”

“No... this is a laugh of victory.” 'Yugi' smirked, enjoying the panicked look on the kid's face. “Take a good look at your monsters' positions on the field.”

Glancing down, Kaiba found that all four of his remaining pieces were lined up in a diagonal line, just one space away from 'Yugi's' remaining monster. “My last monster, the Torigun,” The Other Yugi spoke, “it's low-level, it can't make sharp turns, and it's terrible at close combat, but it has one special talent... once per game it can defeat any number of enemies, even level five ones, in a diagonal super attack!”

Kaiba stared in shock at this. 'Th-that's... Yugi sacrificed all of his monsters but one...?! Just to draw my four into a line...!”

“ _The Door to Darkness has been opened...”_ 'Yugi' spoke as his last piece made the final attack, slicing right through Kaiba's creatures, killing them all and winning the game _. “Hold your trump card until the end! Rule number three! Remember it well!”_  
  
“I... lost?!” Kaiba exclaimed, watching 'Yugi' rise from his seat, a glowing eye appeared on his forehead. Oh no... Seto had told him about this.

“ _Penalty Game!”_

Kaiba gasped, seeing a large capsule appear over him, looking very real, and very frightening. “W-what's going on?! A capsule over my head!” This is what made his brother go insane with a need for revenge! He turned, looking at the darker Yugi, a wild look in his eyes. “Heh...hehehehe... Yugi..! My brother's REAL revenge is well underway! The Game Masters are just a test for you! The secret project 'Death-T' is coming!”

The capsule shut close on the boy and his screams were heard from inside of it. 'Yugi' frowned, wondering what 'Death-T' meant, what was Kaiba Seto up to...? He scoffed, turning from the screaming boy. _“Too bad, but you aren't a match for me! Think abut that while you're trapped in your capsule!”_

He turned away, smirking as he put his hands in his pockets, moving to leave the warehouse. “We can play again later... when you've learned the rules!”

With that, he left Kaiba screaming for his brother inside of his illusion, much to the confusion of the boy's friends, who didn't see what Kaiba saw.

**GAME OVER**

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, this is only seven pages long with the notes. I would have written more, but I'm exhausted from work and unpacking, so... sorry.
> 
> But next chapter will be longer, it's the last one with the Game Masters and the last anime chapter. Then Death-T can begin! Also, sorry about changing the line Yami Yugi yells at the kids, I felt like that he was furious with them already for threatening Yugi, and touching the puzzle was the final straw, so he called them fucks instead of brats. Also, I've seen a translation of the manga with him saying that so... *shrugs*
> 
> Next chapter: The final Game Master appears, and he's nothing that Yugi or Yami are expecting. Who is this man, and why is someone like him so devoted to someone like Kaiba Seto? And what is this Death-T that is awaiting Yugi and the spirit? Kaiba, how will you go for revenge...
> 
> Thanks for reading, again, sorry it's so short, it's not a long chapter to begin with... anyway, thanks again, please comment!


	19. The Final Master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updates, I've been busy with my summer job and I haven't been able to sit down and watch the episode for this chapter. But now I have, and I realized that there is way too much side story and not enough Yugi in it.
> 
> Alright, this is the last chapter centered on an episode, so after that will just be nothing but manga chapters. I've made MAJOR changes to this chapter, outside of my usual ones, because this one involves some changes to the original manga and start of Death-T. Gozaburo is alive in this season, not dead at this point like he is in the manga, so that is changed, as is Mokuba and Kaiba's behavior towards one another. I also removed Diamon playing a game during the earlier part in the episode cause I didn't care, so why is he in a limo? He came back from the game that happened off screen.
> 
> Warning: Kaiba is a dick, but that's not really a warning. Also, Yugi almost gets hit by a car. Season zero was a trip.
> 
> On with the fic!

Three of the best gamers in the world have been taken out, and only one Master remains. It pains me to do this, but I have to wake him up.

I wish that it hadn't come down to this, but it would be best if he beats Yami Yugi, so that Death-T might not happen. Will my need for revenge be extinguished with him defeating that boy at Duel Monsters? Will it be the best option, instead of myself doing it?

We can only wait and see...

–-

“ _Checkmate, Bocchama.”_

_He watched as the young brunet glared down at the chess set, before grabbing it, flipping the tablet that sat on his bed. The pieces flew about, scattering about on the bed and floor, the man just smiled as he stood. “Yes, good. Use the bitterness of your loss as motivation!”_

…

_He picked up a card, putting the queen into his hand, now he had three of them. He smirked at the boy and showed his hand. “Three cards.” He said, showing his queens. Blue, calculating eyes stared at him, before a sweet smile formed on the child's face._

_The smile was that of pride._

_Setting down his own hand, the young boy showed that he had a full house. A smile of pride formed on the old man's face in return as he watched his master stand up, looking so excited, so happy. “I did it!” The boy cheered, it was a beautiful sound. “It's the first time I beat Jii in a game!”_

…

_The boy laughed happily as he was pushed on the swing outside in the mansion's yard, the old man pushing him. “You must go higher, Bocchama! You're someone who must rise into the sky! Higher and higher Bocchama!”_

…

_Such good memories..._

–-

The dark haired boy in Kaiba's office toyed with his Capsule Monster toys as he watched the brunet staring at something in the room. “My, my,” He said in a cheeky manner, “Kaiba Corporation's proud Game Masters, Sheldon, Aileen... even Yuichi were beaten by that Mutou kid.”

Though, he wasn't going to admit to his brother that even he himself had been defeated just the other day. He was still shaken up by that penalty game, though it had ended just an hour or so after it began. 'Yugi' went easy on him, he just knows it. That made it even more insulting! “What do you plan to do, big brother?”

Kaiba stood silently, before turning to his younger brother. “Hmph, I've got something in mind. Sure, Yugi had beaten those three, but they are nothing compared to my fourth Game Master. Not even the likes of that other Yugi will be able to defeat someone like him...”  
  
The smaller Kaiba frowned, knowing exactly who it was that they were speaking about.

This was a risky gamble, his brother's trump card of the Game Masters.

This was the last step to see if 'Yugi' was worthy of his brother's anger, if that win against Kaiba was really a true win or just a stroke of luck.

He felt dread in his stomach, his brother... was making strange choices, but he had to help him, had to support Kaiba in this. After all, he saw what this Other Yugi could do, and knew that he was a threat to them.

He just hoped his brother knew what he was doing.

–-

“Artificial heart functioning normally.”

“Artificial lungs functioning normally.”

Kaiba nodded, frowning deeply. “Alright, force drive gel in.” He commanded, watching the scientists get to work. The body in the glass and metal pod seemed to twitch and move as tubes placed into him pumped him full of something. “Cocoon open.” Kaiba ordered next, seeing the pod open just as the man's eyes opened at the same time.

He sat up slowly, looking up at the tall figure, with familiar eyes of blue. He couldn't help but smile. “Bocchama.” He greeted. “No... Master Kaiba.” He corrected himself.

Kaiba smirked as he looked down at the man. “Daimon. Time for work.”

–-

“Ah! This is cute!” Miho smiled as she picked up a shirt, wondering if she should get it.

“That's nice. Nice!” Honda happily announced. “Miho is the best! Like a flake of snow on a rock!”

Jounouchi rolled his eyes, turning away from his lovestruck friend. “How so?” He asked, damnit, they were out shopping and having fun, then this guy had to get all mushy and weird.

Miho shrugged and picked up another shirt, wondering if she should go with that one instead. Honda rushed over, telling her that it was also good, it was the best! Anzu watched them before picking up too shirts, wanting to try something out.  
  
“Hey, Yugi, which one do you like?” She asked, turning to the small boy who sat on the floor nearby.

Yugi smiled at her, blushing a little. “Both would suit you, Anzu.” The light colored one look fun and cute, very fitting of her. While the dark blue tank top would be a more exciting spin on her. He ignored Yami who made a comment about how Yugi was totally pink cheeked right now.

 _Thinking about her in those, eh? Bet that tank top shows more skin._ He teased, snickering, making Yugi's cheeks burn brighter now.

He tried to ignore his shadow. “Your style is top notch, after all.” He continued, smiling at the brunette.

Anzu smiled, giggling a bit at this, that was sweet of him to say. Miho smiled at them before turning back to the rack in front of her. “I suppose I will have to go with this one.” She said, pointing to a shirt.

“Nice, it's umm...” Honda spoke up, trying to find more poetic terms for her choices. “A butterfly coming to a flower in a hat.”

Jounouchi rolled his eyes again, walking past him. “Don't overdo it! Your examples are becoming more random.” This resulted in an argument between them and the other four decided to ignore the two boys.

Yugi watched Anzu and Miho chatter about what looked nice on one another, it was... nice, spending time with his friends like this, especially with all the things that have been happening to him recently in the past few weeks. Sure, the spirit's been helping him with these problems and strange events, but... he liked these moments of peace, where he didn't have to worry about someone hurting him or his friends.

After a bit, the group split up for whatever reasons they had, leaving Anzu and him to walk together. Yugi looked up at her, smiling. “Today, we sure bought a lot.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Ah, right, Yugi...” She was flushed in the cheeks now, “want to go to an amusement park tomorrow? I'll treat since you accompanied us today.”

“Really?” Yugi asked, excited. Yes! He'd love to hang out with Anzu at an amusement park! It's been a while since he's gotten the chance to just spend the day with her alone. Okay, well, he was never alone, since his shadow was a constant, but Yami knew when to give him space.

…

For the most part, sometimes the spirit liked to be an instigator.

Anzu smiled at the happy boy, nodding again. “Yep! It'll be fun!”

Yugi looked ready to do a little dance of joy, until something caught his attention, making him stop walking. Anzu asked him what was up and he pointed down the street. “Look over there. It's Duel Monsters!”

It's amazing, that even after a few problems that had been caused by the game for him recently, Yugi still adored the card game, same with Yami. Yugi grinned and started making his way over to the game shop that had the cards on display. He wanted to see if there was anything there that he could get for him, the spirit, and Grandpa!

As he crossed the street, a short limo turned, coming right towards him.

_Yugi!_

Yugi screamed, feeling darkness for a split second, orchid to crimson, until he landed. The limo swerved into a lamp post, Anzu came rushing over to check on her friend.

When she got to him, Yugi was in control once more, looking stunned, before he gasped. He turned his attention to the limo, seeing someone's arm hanging out of an open car door.

–-

Yugi sat in the hospital room with Anzu, he felt Yami shift about him, matching his worry about the elderly man that had been in the crash. He felt so guilty, he had caused someone to get hurt because he hadn't watched where he was going!

He turned to his friend, worry painted all over his face. “What'll I do, Anzu? It's my fault...”

Anzu sighed softly, looking at the boy, before she stood up when the doctor stepped in. “Doctor!” Yugi gasped, standing as well. “Can you save this person...It's my fault this happened.”

The doctor raised an eyebrow, looking at the patient in the bed. “Save? There are limits to what I can do. This patient is already dead.”

Yugi and Anzu gasped, horrified by this news! “I-I can't believe it...!” Yugi stammered, feeling ten times worse about what happened! No, he caused the death of an innocent old man?! H-how... oh God...

The doctor shook his head at them. “No, it wasn't because of the accident.” He said, trying to reassure them. “This patient should have died many years ago.”

Anzu looked at him, confused. “Umm... what do you mean?”

“Artificial heart, lungs, and various other artificial organs. Just how did he live up to this point? Is he even alive right now? It looks like he's protected by a cutting edge science center.”

“Yes, I'm a zombie, right?” A voice spoke up, getting the attention of the others in the room. The old man was awake!

Yugi quickly moved over to the side of the bed, frowning. “I-I'm sorry...! Because I j-jumped in front of that car...”

The old man smiled at him. “It's alright. The doctor is right. I am someone who is already dead.” He turned his head, the smile was still on his face as he looked Yugi over. “More importantly, it looks like you also like games, like me.”

Blinking, Yugi glanced down at his chest, seeing that under his uniform jacket, the white dress shirt he wore had a pack of Duel Monsters cards in the front pocket, and they could bee seen. He watched the old man pull out his own deck of cards from under the blanket. “Sir, you also play Duel Monsters?” He asked, a bit surprised. He thought Grandpa was the only elder he knew that played the game!

“Will you be my opponent?” He smiled at Yugi still.

“But...”

The old man sat up, looking like nothing was bothering him at the moment. “Don't worry. Games are what I live for.”

Yami watched from his space on the bed, well, he had to admire this old man, games are what he lived for as well. He watched as the man put on a set of glasses and handed over his deck. Yugi gleefully took it and handed over his own so they could shuffle the cards.

He decided to let Yugi play, as there wasn't anything risky happening right now, and Yugi looked like he needed a pick me up.

“They are what give me energy.” The man stated as he carefully shuffled the cards quickly. Yugi smiled softly and handed over the deck, getting his own in return.

The game began and they placed their cards on the field mat that had been laid down on the bed. The old man, Diamon, watched as Yugi looked over his cards, coming up with a strategy to take on his cards. 'What straightforward eyes full of passion.' He thought, watching as Yugi set down a card.

Diamon studied Yugi, seeing how he played, and his expressions. There was determination in his eyes, but they also held enjoyment, a love for the game and the cards. There was a passionate fire that burned strongly in those large eyes, a fire he remembered seeing a set of blue eyes he knew all too well.

'Long ago, Bocchama also did nothing but enjoy games like this.' He smiled, but blinked when he saw Yugi frown, putting his hands on his head.

“Ahh... I lost!” Yugi pouted, looking at the field.  
  
“What a surprise.” Anzu spoke up as she walked into the room, having gone out to get oranges for Diamon. “I can't believe Yugi lost so easily.”

“When you grow older, you understand people's mind.” Diamon spoke, a soft smile on his lips. “You lost because you're too straightforward in how you play your game.”

_You know, he does have a good point, Other Me._

Yugi just laughed, well, he would take this as helpful advice for the next time he played! Anzu nodded, offering to peel the elderly man an orange, with Yugi speaking up, offering to help peel one as well.

Watching the two teenager, it reminded Diamon of his young master. Kaiba use to do this for him, and it always brought a smile to the young boy's face when he made Diamon happy...

“Daimon!”

Looking up, the three people and the shadow in the room turned to see none other than Kaiba come into the room, actually looking worried.

Yugi blinked, staring at the taller duelist. “Kaiba..?” Why was he here?

Kaiba's attention went to the smaller boy, and he frowned. “Yugi.” His eyes narrowed, but his eyes went back to Diamon. “Quickly transport Diamon to Kaiba Medical Castle.” He ordered the two bodyguards behind him. They nodded, moving past him to start pushing the bed out of the room.

Yugi and Kaiba watched them leave with Diamon before the brunet turned to glare at the other boy in the room. He saw the shadow under Yugi move, twitch, seems the Other Yugi was present with them, but he had no time for them. “So...” Kaiba began, “the one who jumped in front of my car was you?”

His tone sounded angry, accusing, as if he believed that Yugi had done this on purpose, but he knew that was far from the truth.

“I'm sorry...” Yugi began, but Kaiba looked away.

“Hmph. Looks like we really are connected by the thread of fate. You can try to cut it, but it cannot be broken. It's the thread that entangles us.” He hadn't expected Diamon and Yugi to meet so soon, he hadn't finished his preparations for their duel yet...

“How do you know that old man, Kaiba?” Yugi asked.

“That man taught me the basics of games when I was young. He is a master.” Blue eyes narrowed, staring right at Yugi and the spirit in his shadow. “You should be honored to have been his opponent. Mazaki, leave, I need to speak to Yugi.”

Anzu frowned, but stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her, leaving the others alone. “Kaiba...” Yugi frowned, staring up at him, a flash in his eyes, the color changing for just a second. So, the other Yugi was listening to them then?

“Yugi, that man is difficult to beat, my own wins against him were by the skin of my teeth. I doubt that even you, with your other self, can beat someone like him. He's at a level that even you cannot master, and you never will.”

Orchid was crimson now, but the golden flash of before was not present. _“You speak as if this will not be the only duel between my other self and him.”_

That voice, yes, Yami Yugi was here, with only some control...

Kaiba smirked, reaching for the door knob. “You may be right, or you may be wrong.” Just as he moved to turn the knob, the other boy's voice stopped him.

“ _Kaiba, wait! Tell me, what are you planning? What is... Death-T?”_

The brunet twitched, how did he...? Oh, he had a very strong feeling he knew of who spoke of his secret project... He smirked at the Other Yugi over his shoulder. “You'll find out when the time is right, Yugi.”

He turned the knob, stepping out and walked past Anzu. She made a face before looking into the room, seeing Yugi with confused, worried eyes. “What did he say to you?”

“He...” She didn't need to know, especially since Yami actually let him listen in on all of that. “He's just mad, thinking I did it on purpose.”

“But it was an accident.”

“He just wants an excuse to hate me today, I guess?”

Yugi shrugged and frowned, toying with the orange in his hands. He was worried, was... he going to use that man, Diamon, against him? And Death-T, what was that? Did Yami know something he didn't?

–-

_That boy is Bacchama's enemy..._

_That boy with that kind smile..._

_I must forget, that smile... Bocchama's enemy is my enemy._

–-

“Anzu, let's go over there this time.” Yugi smiled as he walked with his friend. True to her word, Anzu did take him to an amusement park the next day, and he was so happy. He needed the distraction, the talk with Kaiba bothered him.

And later that evening, he got Yami to talk to him about Death-T, but all the shadow knew what that it was something Kaiba had planned, he knew no details of it.

But right now, his attention was on having fun with Anzu and none of that Kaiba business!

Anzu blinked, being pulled along. She smiled though, it's times like this that she enjoys Yugi when he acted like this. She knew he's been maturing, and growing a better back bone for himself, but she still loved when he was his usual, happy, goofy self.

She was pulled towards a monster house, something Yugi seemed super excited about. He was excited to see spooky monster stuff, but he also liked that idea that... maybe Anzu would get scared and cling to him? That might be fun...

However, in reality, Anzu found some of the monsters to be really cute! And Yugi sighed, damnit, he forgot she didn't get scared that easily. If anyone was gonna cling to him in one of these sort of places, it would be Jounouchi.

 _Well, better luck next time, eh Yugi?_ Yami spoke up, seeing the pout of disappointment on the boy's face.

“You get some sorta dumb kick out of this, don't you?” Yugi whispered at his other half while Anzu was distracted.

_What tipped you off?_

Yugi rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore the snarky voice, though his attention was drawn to the squeal Anzu made. He was about to comment, asking if she found something 'cute' again, only to stare in horror.

One of the monsters, a dragon looking one, had grabbed Anzu by her arms, its mouth open and looking ready to bite down on her at any minute! “Save me, Yugi!” She screamed, looking terrified.  
  
“Anzu!” Yugi's eyes widened, but narrowed, damnit, what just happened?! He only looked away for a moment! Just as he stepped forward to help her, something under him moved. He had stepped onto a platform, that started to lift up into the air. It came to a stop in front of another platform, one with a large, glass dome over it.  
  
Turning, Yugi stared at the figures inside. He saw Kaiba, standing next to Diamon, who sat in a strange looking wheelchair. He glared and stepped towards the entrance to the dome, looks like he was going to have to duel against Diamon again, and with Kaiba here...

_He's probably a Game Master._

Kaiba smirked at him. “Yugi, it's game time.” He gestured towards Anzu, the monster that held her moved so she could be seen. “As you can see, she's under attack by that monster's fangs. There is only one way to save her, beat Daimon in a game.”

Yugi stared over at his friend, seeing the mouth around her move closer to closing and Anzu gasped, fainting from fright.

“Anzu!” He gasped, and the darkness consumed him.

Daimon watched in fascination as a golden flash came from the pendant around Yugi's neck, and as the boy turned to face them, he seemed to change before their very eyes. Magenta locks turned to a bright red, his expression was much more serious, and wide, purple eyes because sharp, red ones.

This was not the same boy from the hospital.

The elderly man knew that this boy was going to give him a challenge, and he looked forward to it.

“ _Sir...”_ 'Yugi' began, _“nothing against you, but I'm not holding back.”_

Even his voice, it sounded so much more confident and serious than Yugi's own. Kaiba had told him earlier that when Yugi was serious in his gaming, he became a completely different person. Seems that his master told the truth.

Kaiba looked excited. “Nice to see you again, Other Yugi. I told you there was a chance you'd get to play against Diamon.”

'Yugi' just glared at Kaiba before taking his seat at the table. Decks were exchanged between him and the elderly man. Once the decks were shuffled, they were placed on the table.

Game Start!

Daimon went first, both his expression and that of the other Yugi's were serious. In his first move, Diamon played 'Skull Bat' and a card face down. The monster suddenly appeared above them, looks like 'Yugi' was having a hand in this game, making illusions happen. Kaiba was excited, though he wondered if Diamon would be okay.

Now that it was his turn, 'Yugi' set down his own monster, 'King Rex', ready for an attack.

The older man smirked. “You said attack just no, right? It's true that in a fair fight, Skull Bat can't beat King Rex. Yet... your attack... has activated this trap card.” He flipped the card he had set down.

'Yugi' winced, shit, he should have figured it was a trap!

“The trap is Golgotha's Punishment!”

The dinosaur suddenly stood in a desert that formed under its feet, causing it to sink into the sand. Just as it was falling, Skull Bat screeched, attacking the monster.

Speaking of monsters, the mouth of the dragon that held Anzu started to close a bit more at the destruction of 'Yugi's' card. “Anzu!” 'Yugi' exclaimed, damnit, they really were really doing this?!

“I told you.” Diamon spoke up. “It isn't because of my age, I can completely read your mind.”

The boy frowned, turning back to the other duelist. “Let me ask one thing, why do you fight so fiercely for Kaiba, even when your body is in such a state?”

Diamon stared at him, his hard expression softening. “For memories.”

“Memories?”

“When Master Kaiba was still in grade school, he watched over me when I was bed ridden. He cared deeply about me and my health, he wanted me to keep teaching him games. One of my favorite memories is of him peeling an orange for me, asking for me to get better.”

'Yugi' raised an eyebrow. “A favorite memory... is of an orange?”

He chuckled at the boy's confusion. “It seems silly, but... Master Kaiba's kindness at that time has been in my heart all this time.”

The Other Yugi frowned softly, thinking this over, only to be snapped out of his thoughts by Kaiba's loud, annoyed voice. “Yugi, it's your turn! Make your move!”

Drawing his card, 'Yugi' played 'Big Tree' in defense mode.

“Faltering?” Daimon asked. “I attack with 'Bloody Zombie'.”

“Trap card activated! Just like before, when you called the attack, this trap activates!” He turned over a card he had played on the field before, 'Miraculous Water'. An illusion of water washed away that of the Bloody Zombie. “You lose your monster in its currents. And receiving that water, my Big Tree, while in defense mode, drops seeds.”

The tree on the field opened the pods growing from it, dropping its seeds into the water. The seeds soon began to sprout and tangled around Skull Bat, killing it.

The old man smiled, surprised by this. “A two fold attack!” His smile dropped as he felt a horrible wave of pain in his body. 'No! My time outside of the capsule is running out! I have to hurry!'

Kaiba glanced down, seeing his game master in pain. A flicker of worry crossed his face as he told the other to use the power up he had installed in the chair for him. A button was pushed and 'Yugi' watched as strange tubes came out of the back of the chair, attaching themselves to Diamon, pumping him full of some strange liquid!

The liquid would be able to stimulate Diamon's brain, distracting it from the pain. Kaiba wanted him to finish the duel, he wanted him to stay alive, he couldn't have one of the few people he cared about die.

But that wasn't all the chair did...

After the tubes were removed, a visor came down in front of Diamon's eyes and he gasped in shock. “T-this is...!” He could see 'Yugi's' hand! No, he couldn't allow this, he never cheated! “Forgive me, Bocchama!” He pushed the device away. “I, Diamon, will win without this!”

He set down 'Golden Pegasus' down on the field, and ended his turn. For his turn, the Other Yugi played his 'Devil Dragon'. The Pegasus was destroyed, as were a few of the other monsters that were placed on the field by Diamon, all at the hands of the Devil Dragon.

This had 'Yugi' suspicious, why was he attacking with weak cards? Unless if he had something planned...

Diamon smirked. “You fell for it! It's complete.” He pulled a card from his hand, setting it down. “This is next. 'Zombie Master'. This card may be weak, but it has the ability to freely control the dead. In other words, it absorbs all the defeated cards.”

On the field, the three monsters that 'Yugi' had destroyed came back to the field, along with Zombie Master. In a combined attack, Devil Dragon was destroyed in one move. The duel continued, monsters played, but the Zombie Master took them down.

'Yugi' drew his next card, a bit surprised to see it. He set down a spell card, Monster Reborn. “I'm reviving the Fairy Ophelia that you used earlier. And I just drew an equip card, 'Flute of Light'.”

Diamon was surprised by this, he hadn't expected that card!

“If the dead are revived, Zombie Master loses power.” 'Yugi' spoke. “This means his power reverts to normal. And Ophelia may have a weak attack, but he's king of the faeries. Equipped with the Flute of Light, he can draw upon the greatest power, Holy Light.”

The faerie on the field played the flute, sending out a light blast that destroyed the monsters in front of him.

“ _You may read people's hearts, but you can't read the cards' hearts, it seems.”_ 'Yugi' frowned softly.

Diamon screamed, his chair tumbling over by the blast of the holy light. The dragon that held Anzu opened its mouth, before lowering her back down to the ground, letting her go. She blinked, waking up, surprised. What... just happened?  
  
Getting up from the table, the Other Yugi approached Diamon, moving to help him up. “W-well done...”  
  
“You too. It's the first time I've had an opponent with such respect for games.” 'Yugi' said as he placed a hand on the old man's shoulder, only for it to be covered up by the other man's hand.  
  
“Y-You might be able to get it back... Bocchama's lost... kind heart...”  
  
“Kaiba's heart?”

He looked up, finding that they were left alone. Where did Kaiba go? If he really cared about Diamon, shouldn't he be here helping him? “Don't worry, sir, I promise... I'll help Kaiba out, no matter what.”

GAME OVER

–

Damnit, he really is better than I had thought.

Well, Yugi, looks like you're going to have to experience your death by my hands at Death-T.

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! NO MORE EPISODES!
> 
> Now to get onto business, we're almost done with Imagination's Reality, we just have Death-T to do, and a few bonus chapters before finally, the Bakura arc., then part one of this series will be done.
> 
> Next chapter: A simple afternoon at the arcade is ruined by someone who can't handle being beaten at his own game, leaving the knight to stand in for the king to protect to vessel. And just how dangerous can a game at dinner time really be?
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please comment!


	20. The Knight's Promises and the King's Meal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm one chapter away from Death-T.
> 
> I'm gonna do a huge run through of the previous chapters (and this one) before I post up chapter twenty one so I can fix any errors I've made.
> 
> Anyway, here is a combination of chapters twenty five and twenty six of the manga, the two that actually lead up to the night before Death-T. Originally, they were gonna be separate chapters, but because the first one literally leads up into the second one, best to fit them together.
> 
> Also, I love the title I came up for it.
> 
> Warnings: Mokuba is a dick, and Jounouchi gets to fight someone, oh, and Yugi gets hurt. Please, someone, let this boy live his life in peace!
> 
> On with the fic!

“Alright! Today I'm finally gonna break this dude's record!” Jounouchi announced loudly as he and Yugi stepped into a local arcade, not far from their school.

“Is this someone good at arcade games, Jounouchi?” Yugi asked, blinking.

With a nod, Jounouchi told Yugi that this guy was a legend! He pointed towards a racing game, where the scores were on display on the screen. “See! The top ranked guys get to record their names, right? See, this guy... this 'Kai' dude!”

Yugi looked at the screen, seeing that the first place name was KAI. “'Kai'...?” He felt a questioning feeling from Yami, but also a sense of suspicion. No... it couldn't be, right?

“It's not just this game,” Jounouchi continued, “the puzzle games and the fighting games... this 'Kai' had the high score on almost all of the games in this arcade.”  
  
“Wow!” The smaller boy grinned. “He must be awesome!”  
  
“Plus, these games are connected online to arcades across the country! That means that this 'Kai' guy is the number one gamer in Japan!”

Yugi frowned, looking at another screen, see KAI in the high score spot. “I wonder who he is.”

The blond shrugged. “Dunno, never seen him... but get this, Yugi! If I beat this guy, I'll be the best in Japan!”

“You're right!”

“Alright!” Jounouchi grinned, filled with determination. “Today, I'm gonna beat 'Kai'!”

A kid walking past scoffed, smirking. “Yeah, right! Not in a million years... There's no way you can break Kaiba's record!”

The grin on Jounouchi's face turned into a scowl. “What was that, you little brats?!”  
  
Yugi gasped, wait a second...! “Hey, you guys! Did you just say 'Kaiba'?”

One of the two boys nodded. “Yeah, Kaiba the game master! He's so tight! He's, like, a legend.” The other boy say that there were two brothers, and the older one was a game whiz.

 _It's him...! Kaiba!_ Yami spoke up. _Seems he's not only a master of Duel Monsters, but of other games as well._

Yugi frowned, Kaiba continued to pop in his recent life in different ways, it seems. And it was only just a few days ago that he and the spirit had a run in with Kaiba, taking on the last of his Game Masters. At the time, Yami had seen in Kaiba's eyes, the moment that Daimon lost, a look of pure rage, a need to draw blood.

He knew that Kaiba was going to do something to them, especially with this mysterious Death-T of his...

One of the boys continued to speak, saying that it seems that Kaiba has gotten bored of normal games, and that he's working on a super, secret project. Apparently he is building the ultimate game for someone!

_I have a terrible feeling that the someone this game is being built for is us, Yugi..._

“Hmm...” Yugi watched the boys walk off, after having jeered at Jounouchi about wanting to beat Kaiba's score. The frown was taken off the small boy's face when Jounouchi happily told him to come play games with him.

After playing a few, Yugi sat down to play a fighting game called 'Virtual V.S.'. “I'll play as 'The Dragon' Bruce Ryu! He's a kung fu master!” Yugi smiled as he picked his character.

“Hey, he looks just like Bruce Lee!” Jounouchi pointed out, watching Yugi start the match.

“Yeah!” The boy turned, smiling brighter. “I'm a big fan of him!” He loved those kinda films, they were always so cool and action packed! Yami thought they were interesting, but he found it more interesting that for someone who didn't like fighting, Yugi sure had a lot of fighting movies. It was kinda cute, and a little ironic.

Quickly, Yugi one his battle against the CP, only to find that someone was challenging him to a match! “I love these sit down fighting games,” Yugi said as he accepted the fight, “cause you never know who you're fighting against!”  
  
“Heh, show 'em, Yugi!” Jounouchi cheered loudly, while Yugi felt a bit of amused encouragement from his spirit friend.

“Whoa! He's using Bruce Ryu too!” Yugi blinked, seeing the copy of his character on the screen, only dressed in a different outfit. The match took a bit longer than the first, but Yugi won! Only... to be challenged again, by the same guy!

And after he won, he was challenged again, and again, and again!

“Wha... he's challenged me again!” Yugi exclaimed, what the hell!? This was getting annoying, and really boring, even Yami had retreated into the puzzle cause he was tired of watching Yugi win over and over.

“Is this the same guy?!” Jounouchi asked before standing up. “This is, like, the thirtieth time! Weak guys never give up...” As he turned away from his friend, he asked if Yugi wanted a drink, it was on him. Happily, Yugi asked for a cola and Jounouchi nodded, heading for the vending machines.

After winning once more, Yugi was surprised to notice that the guy didn't challenge him again, maybe the guy gave up?

However, Yugi had no idea that the challenger was on the other side of the games and he was furious! Getting up from his seat, he walked to the other side, finding Yugi still sitting there, a smile on the unknowing boy's face. That only served to piss the guy off even more... “Hey kid! Turn around!”  
  
Blinking, Yugi turned to see who spoke to him, only to suddenly be socked right in the left cheek.

“You brat!” The man yelled. “Don't act so tough, just because you won a video game! I'll show you what a real fight is!” He let out a strange battle cry and started to punch at the poor boy. Yami was alerted, and attempted to take over, only for a sudden punch to the chest to wind him and Yugi both, stopping him from being able to do anything for a moment.

“Hahaha! Where's your arrogant grin now! Let me see you laugh again! Hey!” The man screamed, before delivering one last strike to Yugi, knocking him out on the floor in a sudden daze.

The man looked at the boy, sprawled on the floor, before noticing the golden object around his neck. “Hey! That's a cool pendant you got there... I always take a prize from the opponents I beat in my street fights!” He smirked, pulling out a knife he had on his person, before cutting the cord around Yugi's neck, then making his way to the exit.

As Yugi started to come to his senses, he heard the voices of the two boys from earlier, worriedly asking if he was alright. But their questions fell on deaf ears as Yugi realized he suddenly felt uncomfortable on the inside, and it wasn't just from the wounds. His... his puzzle was gone! It was stolen!

He could only faintly feel Yami in his soul, trying to reach out for him.

Jounouchi struggled with the hot can of coffee he had in his hands as he returned to where he had left Yugi, only to drop the can in shock at the sight of his injured best friend. “Yugi!” He cried out, rushing over to him. “Yugi! Are you alright?!”

“Y-yeah... I'm fine...” Yugi replied, but it was obvious he was upset. One of the boys told Jounouchi of what had just happened and the blond was filled with rage.

–

It didn't take long for Jounouchi to find the guy, as the kid had told him that the guy looked like a Bruce Lee knock-off.

“Hold it right there!” He called out, getting the guy to stop in the street. When he turned, the man saw the burning stare of Jounouchi, it was obvious this kid was looking for a hell of a fight. “How dare you hurt my buddy... I'm not gonna let you live!”

In just moments, the duo found themselves in an alleyway, both itching to start the fight. “You got guts to challenge me to a street fight!” The jerk smirked at Jounouchi.

“It's not a fight!” The blond growled. “It's gonna be a slaughter! And then I'm gonna take back that pendant!”

“Well, get this! I've never lost in a fight! I know karate and boxing! You're the one who's gonna die!”

This only served to piss Jounouchi off more, he hated braggers like this. “Quit flapping your jaws and make your move!”  
  
The other continued to smirk. “Don't be in such a hurry... I may not look like it, but I'm a big fan of Bruce Lee.” Jounouchi couldn't help but to roll his eyes, well no shit. “Bruce Lee wasn't just an action star, he was a real fighter! He showed his true strength to the world as the Ed Porter International Karate Tournament at Long Beach! That's where he used his 'one inch punch'! The records show that with just one inch, and no handicap, he punch blew his opponent away!

“Do you get it? Just... one... inch! And I'm going to teach you the terror of one inch! Let's do this like a fighting game! And if you win, I'll give this pendant back!” He gestured to the puzzle he wore around his neck, pissing Jounouchi off, only Yugi should wear it!

“A game?” Jounouchi asked.

“Let me tell you the rules.” The man dug into his coat pockets, showing the two knives he carried. “You fight me with this knife clenched in your teeth!”

“What?!”  
  
“And if you don't like it, I can smash this puzzle right here!”

Oh, hell no! Jounouchi wasn't going to allow this boozo to do something that stupid! The man said that even he would put a knife in his mouth, so they'd be evenly matched, though he didn't tell the other that his knife is a trick knife and he'd be safe.

Jounouchi watched him, but smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Alright, I'll play! But first... take that knife out of your mouth! I don't mind doing it, but if you had one, I'd have to hold back from punching your face!”

After he was given the other knife, Jounouchi put it between his teeth, ready to start the fight. Though the man had his fists ready to go, the boy kept his own in his pockets still. “Hahaha!” The man smirked, ready for the fight. “Fine, it's your funeral! But when I punch you in the face, the knife will go right into your throat! One inch is enough to kill you! This is a 'game of death', just like the film! Let's go!”

He moved fast, aiming right for Jounouchi's face, and kept aiming for it. Luckily, Jounouchi was good at dodging, but it was still rather difficult. This asshole was right, he's one inch between life and death if he isn't careful!

One of the man's swings got too close, not enough to strike the knife, but his missed punch was still able to actually slice against Jounouchi's skin, cutting his cheek!

'It gets worse!' The blond thought as he felt the sting of the cut. 'In this narrow alley, I can't dodge that far to either side! He's got a double advantage!'

The man paused, seeing that Jounouchi hadn't even tried to punch him, and had once again dodged him! “Heh, what's wrong?” Jounouchi smirked. “You punch so slow, I can see 'em coming the day before!”

“Y-you! Are you making fun of me?! Take your hands out of your pockets!”

The smirk only got wider. “I have promises to my friend in both these pockets... you don't get to see 'em till it's over!”

The man smirked as well. “Your torso is wide open!” He exclaimed, striking Jounouchi right in the stomach, making his gag for a second, knocking the air out of him. This left him open for a punch right to the face!

'Alright, these are my promises..!'

Suddenly, before the man's punch could come into contact with the hilt of the knife, he got a face full of liquid, hitting him in the eyes!

Jounouchi chuckled, stepping back as he held up a foaming, open can of soda in his left hand. “This is the promise from my left pocket... a cola!”

He smirked around the blade between his teeth as the man rubbed at his eyes. “And here's what's in my right pocket...”

Just as he finally opened his eyes after being sprayed, he saw the fist that was coming right for him. “The promise to clobber you!” Jounouchi yelled as he struck him hard in the cheek, knocking him flying a few feet away. He scoffed, spitting out the blade, looking at the unconscious and bleeding man on the ground. A broken jaw, welp, not his problem!

Getting down, he removed the puzzle and smiled. “Yugi, I got your puzzle back!” He held it carefully, checking it over, yep, it was perfectly intact. “Now all I gotta do... is buy another cola!” He said as he exited the alley, heading back for the arcade.

–

“Owowowow...” Yugi pouted, rubbing at his slightly swollen cheek. He could feel Yami attempting to heal the wound from the puzzle, as an apology for not being able to help just moments ago at the arcade, but Yugi happily forgave him, they both got knocked around a bit too much to do much of anything.

“Are you alright, Yugi?” Jounouchi asked, walking with him down the street.

“I'm fine!” Yugi smiled, dropping his hand. “I'm feeling a lot better since you got my puzzle back!” And he was! He was forever grateful for his friend for helping him with the puzzle again.

As they walked, a sleek, black car stopped next to them, and a man stepped out. “Master Yugi and his friend, I presume?” The man asked. “Master Seto cordially requests your presence at his house!”

“Kaiba?” Yugi blinked, he had a bad feeling about this...

–

“Why is Kaiba inviting us to his house?” Jounouchi asked as he and Yugi sat inside of the car as it drove to the Kaiba estate.

Yugi gave a shrug. “He hasn't been at school recently...” Actually, since Yami battled him weeks ago, Kaiba has been at school very rarely, though Yugi has seen him a few times outside of school. Jounouchi did not need to know about any of that, and luckily Anzu hadn't said anything about it to anyone.

In fact, the other day, she really didn't know what had happened at the amusement park, Yugi said there was some sort of problem but he was able to get it resolved. She didn't ask for details, luckily.

“Yes,” the drive spoke up, “Master Seto been busy... he has been working on an important project. He is the president of Kaiba Corporation, after all.”

Jounouchi gasped loudly. “WHAT?! The president of Kaiba Corp?! The biggest amusement company in the business?!”

“Kaiba Corp?” Yugi blinked, wait... he knew of that company, his family's shop sold products of theirs! He had no idea that Kaiba was the president, and he's still in high school! He knew his family had a company, but he didn't know any of this new news!

 _So that's why Kaiba is so proud of being a great gamer..._ Yami mumbled, mainly to himself.

“And I'm the vice president!” A familiar voice said. Turning around in the front passenger seat was the younger Kaiba brother! He smirked at Yugi. “It's been a while, Yugi! I had fun the other day...”

Yugi's eyes widened. “You're Kaiba's little brother...!” How the hell was a grade schooler the vice president!?

The boy continued to smirk, narrowing his eyes. “Heh, I didn't tell you my name last time. It's Mokuba. Kaiba Mokuba!”

Yugi felt more dread and caution wash over him, these brothers had it out for him and his other half! This might be a trap...

“Hey, Yugi, relax!” Mokuba snorted, turning to face the front window. “You're going to get the VIP treatment! The project my big brother was working on is finished, the opening ceremonies are tomorrow!”

“Opening ceremonies?” Jounouchi asked, confused.

“Hehe, so anyway, my thoughtful and considerate older brother wanted his two friends to be the first to enjoy it. So he's giving you a special invitation... which includes the pre-opening celebration tonight!”

“What's this project?” Yugi asked, though he had a strong feeling it was Death-T. This must be what the kids at the arcade had mentioned.

“That's a secret.” Mokuba replied. “You'll have to wait to find out!”

'This is it, Yugi... the project of our revenge on you! This is Death-T!'

–

Arriving at the Kaiba residence was a shocker to Yugi and Jounouchi, the mansion was huge and grand! It was like a European castle! The inside was beautiful and huge, something these two had never seen before in their lives! Even Yami was a bit impressed, but what do you expect from rich people, yeah?

“Welcome, we've been waiting for you!” A strange, rather odd looking man spoke up. Yugi ignored Yami's comment of the man looking like a melted frog. “You are Master Seto's school friend, Master Yugi, are you not? Master Seto has ordered us to make your stay as pleasant as possible.”

“Hey, where's my brother?” Mokuba asked.  
  
“He retired to his rooms a while ago...”

“What's his problem! Why isn't he here for the pre-opening celebration?”

The frog man just smiled. “Master Mokuba, Master Seto has been working nonstop these last few days, I believe it would be best not to disturb his sleep...”

Mokuba pouted and turned to Yugi and Jounouchi. “Sorry about this. Looks like my big brother won't be able to see you for a while. So tonight, you're my guests! I'll take care of you!”

“Master Mokuba... shall we prepare a meal?”

This seemed to perk Jounouchi's attention. “Yeah! That sounds good! I'm starving!”

Mokuba smiled at them. “Why didn't you say something? I'll treat you to the best food in the world!”

Jounouchi and Yugi were excited about this, what kinda food could it be?! They bet it would be delicious, whatever it was!

The spirit of the puzzle, however, sensed that something was up... he didn't trust these Kaiba brothers for a second.

“You!” Mokuba ordered to the frog man. “Prepare the special course!”

“Yes sir!” The man said with a wicked, gleeful smile on his face. “We will serve it at once!”

Mokuba smirked, leading his guests to another room. Heh, tonight it's payback, Yugi!

If all goes well, the special project might not even need to happen tomorrow!

–

“Dinner is served!” Mokuba happily announced, gesturing to the table they sat at. There were six different dishes, sitting on a strange, round table on top of the table. Jounouchi was disappointed, the dishes were just things kids liked! A pizza, pancakes, a burger, spaghetti, a sundae, and a kiddie meal, what the hell, he thought they were getting something grand!

Mokuba smiled at them. “What do you think? Doesn't it look good? Don't hold back, dig in...” The smile turned wicked in just a second, “that's what I'd like to say, but that wouldn't be interesting! What do you think about play a little game?”

“A game?” Yugi blinked, oh boy...

“See this circle?” Mokuba asked, turning the second table. “It's a turntable, like they use at Chinese restaurants! The three of us take turns spinning the table! Then we eat the food that's in front of us!”

Jounouchi chuckled a bit. “There isn't any poison in the food, is there?”

“Hahaha! That would be rude! I'd never do that to a guest! Actually, there's a wonderful treasure hidden in these dishes! The person who finds it, wins!”

The blond smiled brightly at this. “Alright! Let's do it!”

The dark haired boy nodded. “Then you start, Jounouchi!”

Jounouchi nodded and spun the table, watching it go until it stopped on the kiddie lunch, he was very disappointed about that!

“You have to clean your plate, Jounouchi!” Mokuba happily spoke. “That's the rules of the game! And you might find the treasure!”

With an angry huff, Jounouchi nodded, and began to dig into this meal. He found that it wasn't bad, and that he liked it, until...

“Urgh...!” He felt a horrible pain in his chest, and sickness in his stomach.  
  
“Jounouchi, what's wrong?!” Yugi asked, filled with fear and anger, damnit! Mokuba, you tricked them! He should have known!

“Bingo!” Mokuba cheered. “Looks like you got the prize, Jounouchi! HAHAHAHA!”

“Y-you mean...!”

“HAHAHA! He was right all along! It was poisoned!” Mokuba narrowed his eyes, smirking at the other boy. “I call this game 'Russian Roulette Dinner'! Cause if you eat the wrong thing, you'll die of poison in thirty minutes!”

 _He's trying to kill us!_ Yami growled, making Yugi feel dizzy, looks like he was gonna have to step in and teach this little brat one hell of a lesson!

“You want to save Jounouchi?” The younger Kaiba asked, holding up a vial. “Then you'vegot to win and get this antidote!” He watched with glee as the puzzle flashed and Yugi's soft features turned sharp, those eyes he saw in his own nightmares zeroed in on him, full of a burning hatred.

“ _Mokuba! This time you're dead!”_ 'Yugi' announced, pissed off.

Mokuba chuckled to himself. “Big words, there are five dishes left... and there's one more 'prize' among them! Yugi, it's your move!”

'Yugi' just glared and spun the table, watching Mokuba as he did. The dish to stop in front of him was the spaghetti. “Well, well!” Mokuba jeered. “Spaghetti... eat up, Yugi! Like they say in Italy, mangia! Mangia!”

The Other Yugi looked at the dish, before picking up his fork and began to eat. Great, his first time trying food and it was in a life or death situation, how fucking fantastic was that...

He was quick to clear the plate, and didn't feel any effects from poison, so he was safe, as Mokuba loudly announced. “Yugi! How was that! Was it tasty?” Mokuba taunted, trying to keep the upper hand. “A meal where you could love or die! After you eat, you think 'boy, I'm glad I didn't die!' This meal makes you experience the joy of living! That makes it 'the greatest meal in the world'!”

“Don't stall for time, you little shit.” 'Yugi' replied, watching Mokuba. Just before he spun the table, 'Yugi' noticed that Mokuba had tapped his finger on the top of a strange bottle that sat next to him at the table.

The table spun, and stopped with the dessert in front of the younger boy. “Yahoo!” Mokuba happily cheered in delight. “Chocolate parfait! My favorite!” He then began to eat it with no fear.

'Strange...' 'Yugi' thought as he watched Mokuba. 'He isn't at all nervous playing this dangerous game... that brat, he must be using some kind of trick. He must know which dishes are the poisoned ones... I think he touched that bottle before spinning the turntable.'

“Hey Mokuba,” he spoke up, “what's in that bottle?” He asked, seeing the younger Kaiba choke on his bite of parfait, a nervous look crossing his face.

“Ehh... t-this is... it's a syrup bottle...! There are pancakes, aren't there?”

“Then why's it empty?”

“Haha...! I'll tell you why, because this bottle will be filled for the first time as soon as you eat the poison! Like they say... 'the suffering of others makes the sweetest syrup'!” He smirked at the other boy. “Now Yugi! It's your turn!”

For a moment there, Mokuba had gotten scared that the darker Yugi had figured out his trick! Luckily he bluffed through it, somehow. The bottle is actually a switch, allowing him to decide how the table stops!

'The game ends next turn! I'll give you a taste of poison!'

The poison is in the hamburger, and he was going to make sure it stopped in front of 'Yugi' on the next turn!

'Yugi' smirked at the boy. “Mokuba, let's finish this in one go! On the next turn, let's both eat the dishes that end up in front of us!”

“Alright!”

With a hard push, 'Yugi' spun the table fast. Mokuba wasn't worried, he was going to make that burger land right in front of 'Yugi', this game was in the bag!

“ _The Door of Darkness has been opened...”_

Well, until he watched in horror as the switch suddenly shattered right before his eyes. Gasping, Mokuba looked up at 'Yugi', seeing the victorious smile he had on his face, crimson eyes narrowing. “Hehe... now there's no cheating. Win or lose, the game is up to luck!” 'Yugi' stated, well... yes, this game really was up to luck now! Just like a real game of Russian Roulette!

When the table finally stopped spinning, Mokuba was shocked and terrified at what stopped in front of him. “The poisoned hamburger...! Stopped in front of me!” He screamed. 'Impossible! Why did the switch break?!”

Look at the table, he saw what did it. It was the puzzle that 'Yugi' wore, tied around a peg on the table! It had shattered the bottle when the table spun!

'W-when did he...? How did he...? He attached his pendant to the turntable?! I hate you, Yugi!”

“Mokuba,” 'Yugi' spoke up, catching the boy's attention, “I've finished the pancakes.” That he did, the plate was cleared as the Other Yugi wiped at his mouth with a napkin.

“Since there's nothing wrong with me, I must have missed the poison!” He said in a mocking tone, before his eyes narrowed, his voice serious. _“Now... weren't the rules to clean your plate?”_

Mokuba growled, grabbing the burger, and took a big bite out of it. Only for him to start feeling the same side effects that Jounouchi had felt when he ate the poison.

'Yugi' huffed, watching at Mokuba's staff rushed over to help their young master. Reaching over, he took the bottle of antidote from the table on Mokuba's side and approached his friend, who was doubled over in his seat. “Here, drink this.” He said, removing the cork, tipping the contents of the vial into Jounouchi's mouth.

He figured that's what he had to do, since he just saw that frog man do the same for Mokuba. Hmph, so they had a back up plan for this, he should have known. Well, whatever, he guessed he could spare the kid, let him wallow in his own defeat without giving him a penalty game.

For now.

But he had bigger things to worry about that just Mokuba. There was the older Kaiba he had to deal with tomorrow, just what was it that Kaiba had planned for him with Death-T?

Tomorrow would reveal that answer, and he had a terrible feeling that he was not going to like the answer to his questions...

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go, finally, we get to see Death-T! Even though a majority of you guys know what it is already, I'm sure.
> 
> If you're wondering why I called Jounouchi a knight in the title of the chapter, it's pretty obvious, considering his association with knights throughout the series. I also have another chapter title involving him being a knight in it for much later in the Duelist arc.
> 
> Also, that frog man, I kept having a hard time writing his dialogue cause I kept thinking of when ShadyVox played him in the abridged series, it doesn't help me when I write these guys when I think of their abridged voices.
> 
> Next chapter: The mysterious Death-T begins, and Yugi is forced to face his biggest challenges in his life so far. What can he do to save his grandfather, and can he trust his other half during these games, even though it is him that Kaiba wants?
> 
> Thanks for reading, please comment!


	21. The Theme Park of Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, the first of several chapters for the Death-T arc, my favorite arc, since I love that this is the moment that Yugi trusts his other self, and Kaiba becomes the person we all know and adore/hate after he gets mind crushed. Also, there are some pretty interesting games used to try to kill Yugi. Kaiba goes all out with his revenge in ridiculous ways. I love him.
> 
> I was gonna go through and fix the grammar errors in the fic, but right now... I just want to get this chapter out of the way.
> 
> Warnings: Kaiba is a fucking DICK! And Grandpa gets hurt. Suicide is mentioned twice. 
> 
> On with the fic!

The bed Yugi laid on was much bigger than his own, hell, it would probably take up a good chunk of his room at home. He frowned, staring at the ceiling above him, his mother and grandfather must be so worried about him. But none of the staff would give him a phone, and one of them had told him that his family had been informed that he was Kaiba's 'special guest' for tomorrow.

Somehow, Yugi doubted his family was informed...

Speaking of Kaiba, he hadn't seen him at all this evening, and the last time he had seen him was just last week, when he and Yami dueled Diamon. He thought about the president of Kaiba Corp, how that every time he saw him, the boy confused Yugi.

The first time they really spoke to one another, when everything began, Kaiba seemed so nice, then turned out to be a spoiled brat who had to have everything go his way. The second time, he looked furious, there was a strange desire that burned in his eyes.

The third time... Kaiba seemed so different, oddly protective. Yes, he said he had helped Yugi against the witches only so that Yugi could only lose to him in a duel, but there was something else... something in his eyes. That look wasn't meant for Yugi, it was meant for Yami.

Yami...

Orchid eyes stared at the puzzle that laid resting on the side table of the bed. He was here because of the spirit, Kaiba had some serious problems with him, almost like an obsession. Hell, it WAS an obsession! Kaiba sent four people to play with Yugi, and he had a scary feeling that if Yami had lost those games, he'd be in a world of hurt.

Even Anzu was dragged into it, twice! And Jounouchi as well!

Kaiba... it was just a loss at a card game, why did he do all of this? What does he have planned for tomorrow? Was it Death-T? What even is that?

Whatever it is, Yugi had decided that he did not want his other self involved.

He did not want Yami to participate and give Kaiba any form of satisfaction! It scared Yugi, to know that both of these two great gamers played in anger, that rage brought out their best and worst qualities. Yugi had never seen Yami really play, but he had seen what he's done to the losers, and it... it actually scared him, though Yugi knew it was done in the name of justice...

But Kaiba was scarier, he knew that Kaiba took games much more seriously, much more selfishly, and from how these looked, he might do something terrible if he played another game against the spirit.

He wasn't going to just sit there and let Kaiba hurt anyone else, just because he wanted something from Yami. And he wasn't going to let Yami be involved, he couldn't risk it.

So tomorrow, whatever it was that Kaiba had planned, Yugi was going to be the one to take it on.

He... he didn't want anyone else to get hurt, he would do this alone.

–

_You DON'T want me to help you today?_

Yugi nodded, buttoning up his shirt, his back facing his shadow. It was morning now, and Yugi had decided to let Yami know about his plan for today. “I just... think it would be best if you stayed out of whatever it is that Kaiba has planned today. Death-T sounds like it could be dangerous, and I don't want you hurt.”

 _But Yugi, I don't want YOU hurt._ The spirit replied, sounding upset. _I couldn't live with myself if he hurt you..!_

Sighing softly, Yugi turned to face the wall, where his shadow was. “Yami, listen to me, I want to see if I can take on Kaiba on my own. He's got some sorta hatred for you, a vendetta, he wants something bad to happen to you, and I can't allow that.”

He gave him a tired, sad smile. “For once, let me protect you, okay?”

Yami was still, before it looked like he bowed his head. _At least... promise me that you will ask for my help when you think you need it, okay? I will do whatever I can, but I won't take over unless if you specifically give me permission, or if the situation calls for it._

“Thank you, and don't worry,” Picking up the puzzle, Yugi slipped it on over his head, “I'll be fine.”

–

“ _Penalty Game! The Experience of Death!”_

_The feeling of hot, wet breath on his skin, the touch of claws and teeth, tearing at his clothes and flesh, his limbs, he could smell his own blood._

_Everything felt so... real! He was dying, dying...! Was this real?! No, it couldn't be real! But every one of his senses screamed that these beasts were killing him!_

_There was a bright light in this gruesome darkness around him, above him, a beautiful beast of white and blue!_

“ _Blue Eyes!” He hears himself call out, reaching for the beautiful dragon, only for his eyes to wide as he watched it throw back its head, a bright light come from it's mouth._

_White lightening..._

With a sharp gasp, Kaiba shot up in bed, his heart beating hard in his chest. He patted himself down, everything was still intact, it... it was... “That dream again... that dream, that game...”

Shaking his head, Kaiba slipped out of bed, moving towards his window closest to his bed, opening it. He smelled fresh air, not blood, and the light around him was from the sun, not of a dragon, with eyes full of betrayal.

“Today... is the day.” He said softly to himself as he moved away from the window to get himself prepared.

“Good morning, Master Seto.” One of Kaiba's most loyal servants spoke as he entered the room, watching his boss approach the small table in his room where a briefcase sat. “As you requested, Yugi and his friend spent the night at the mansion.”

“I see...” Kaiba looked over something in the briefcase, before closing it. He let the man help him dress, before putting a blue robe on him. “I had planned to give them a special welcome,” He spoke, breaking the silence that had grown in the past few minutes, “but I couldn't stay awake.”

He sighed through his nose, frowning. “There are some nights when you can hardly wait until morning comes. How ironic to have that dream again last night... heheh...”

'But after this is over, I'll never have that nightmare again... Yugi! Death-T starts today!'

–

Yugi was so happy to see Jounouchi at the large dining room table that one of the maid's had directed him towards, the blond looked like he hadn't been poisoned the night before. “Do you feel better, Jounouchi?” He asked as he took his seat.

“Yep!” Jounouchi grinned. “All I needed as a good night's sleep!” He actually did feel much better, he would have to pay Yugi back big time for getting him the antidote. His good mood soured when he remembered where they were. “But I hate staying at Kaiba's house! Makes me feel like I owe him a favor!”

He turned to his small companion. “Hey Yugi, what with this 'opening ceremony' that's suppose to be today?”

Yugi shrugged, putting his arms on the table to let his face rest on his open palms. “I dunno, but I have a bad feeling about it.” He glanced around, looking at the security that was in the room with them. “I feel like we're in jail... like they're guarding us so we don't escape the mansion, and they locked us in...”

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” The frog man from the night before spoke up as he entered the room. “Master Seto will see you now.”

The two boys felt cold shivers run down their spines as they glanced at the grand staircase in the room, seeing a figure standing at the landing, dressed in white with a blue, furred robe on. It was Kaiba, and he was smiling at them. “Good to see you, Yugi!” He said, sounding gleeful, but Yugi felt like that voice was just honey coating a hidden poison underneath. “I've missed you so much!”

The brunet began to descend the staircase, keeping the collectively calm smile on his face. “Why the long faces? It's been a while since we've spoken. Come on, Yugi, Jounouchi! Let's have some fun together!”

Before Yugi could speak, Jounouchi stood up from his seat, furious. “Cut the shit, Kaiba! You _forced_ us to come here! And your brother almost killed us! And you just expect us to be _happy_ to see you?!”

Kaiba blinked lazily, tilting his head a little. “Mokuba...? That was so bad of him,” he said, in feign surprise, “but boys will be boys, you'll have to forgive his little games.”

“You don't get killed by 'little games'!”

“Where are you taking us, Kaiba?” Yugi asked, changing the topic.

Kaiba's attention when to the smaller boy, there was a cold look in his eyes, before a fake warmth came to them. “A place you can only dream of! Well then, we're wasting time, we must leave at once!” He gestured to the main doors of the room, his guards opening them for him.

Yugi and Jounouchi looked at one another, both were nervous, and on edge, but they followed after Kaiba anyway.

In the limo, Kaiba sat back, crossing his arms as he spoke to his guests. “As you know, I own Kaiba Corporation now, I had to take over when my father, the founder, passed away six months ago.”

Yugi frowned, he had heard Grandpa mention something about that before, that the original president of the company had died in a rather dark way, but he didn't know that Kaiba had taken over. He looked at the brunet across from him, seeing the smile on his face. “But my dream project is finally complete! I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I have!”

He pointed out the window, towards the largest building in Domino. “Look, you can see it from here, my tower of dreams that soars over Domino!”

Yugi gasped, looking out the window as they got closer. “You build this skyscraper, Kaiba?!” The building was very tall, with a large structure on the top of it. The colorful sign above the main doors read KAIBA LAND.

Kaiba chuckled, watching the other two. “This is 'Kaiba Land', it's an indoor amusement park.”

The limo came to a stop outside of the building, where Yugi and Jounouchi saw a huge crowd of children of different ages happily waiting outside. Several men in suits came towards the limo as Kaiba stepped out, bowing, saying they had been waiting for him.

This caught the attention of the young crowd and children happily exclaimed that it was Kaiba! How he was a gaming champion, the best in the world, their hero!

For the first time since Kaiba showed his face to Yugi this morning, the smaller gamer saw an actual, honest smile on his classmate's face. Kaiba actually seemed happy to be around these kids, he wasn't faking the joy at all, not like what he did in the mansion. Yugi had only seen him smile like this once before, when he had held the Blue Eyes before he stole it...

“Hello, everyone!” Kaiba greeted the crowd. “Welcome to the grand opening of Kaiba Land!” The honest smile faded into the fake one from before when his attention went back to Yugi and Jounouchi. “Yugi, Kaiba Land is scheduled to open in three days, but there is a special event today. So we've decided to open the doors to certain children by invitation only before the official opening. For free, of course. And I want you to have fun too!”

Jounouchi blinked, well... okay, maybe Kaiba isn't so bad? Cause, honestly, he was letting them enjoy his new theme park for free today. Yugi wondered if he was worrying too much, Kaiba didn't look like he had an ulterior motive for today, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen today.

Glancing at his shadow, he saw that it looked normal, hmm... he wondered what Yami felt about all of this, if he was even listening in...

Kaiba turned back to his adoring fans, grinning. “Well then, everyone! We are open! Welcome to Kaiba Land!” He shouted as the front doors opened, finally letting in the children.

The kids happily ran inside, so excited to see the games and rides. Kaiba stepped inside with Yugi and Jounouchi, turning back to look at the smaller of the three. The honest smile was back on his face. “Do you see now, Yugi? My dream is to open Kaiba Lands all over the world for children everywhere to enjoy!” There was no hints or tells of lying in his voice, Kaiba was speaking the truth.

Yugi smiled at this. 'I'm sorry, Kaiba... I misunderstood you...'

Just as he and Jounouchi were going to run off to play games, a loud voice spoke up. “I know what you did, Seto!” A man in a ruffled business suit exclaimed, catching their attention. “You killed the CEO!”

Kaiba glanced back, his eyes cold and hard.

“You took over Kaiba Corporation and drove the CEO, your own father, to commit suicide...! You're the devil incarnate!”

The brunet didn't seem phased. “Throw him out!” He told his guards, who were quick to grab the man, dragging him off as he screamed. Kaiba turned his attention back to Yugi, the look on his face was still ice cold. “He used to be my father's right hand man, but now he's a worthless has been.” 

“There have been many rumors...” A wicked smirk came to him. “My father's death was a tragedy, but I had nothing to do with it. I think my father was able to die in peace knowing I would take over for him...”

'Kaiba looks completely different from before...' Yugi has seen this look more times than he'd like in the snort amount of time he's known the taller boy. 'Which is his true face...?!'

“Well then, Yugi! Let me show you around the park!” The dark look did not leave Kaiba's face, it was only a matter of time now.

Death-T was just moments away.

–

Kaiba left Jounouchi and Yugi to their own devices for a bit, to try out his rides. He had informed them that no expense was spared on Kaiba Land, everything in the park is on the cutting edge of technology. And he wasn't wrong, some of the monster rides seemed way too real with their virtual reality! Yugi remembered seeing stuff like this the other day when he and Yami faced Kaiba last at that little park he went to with Anzu.

But here at Kaiba Land? It was much better, much more realistic.

After they looked around a bit, Kaiba continued his tour. “The real fun is yet to come!” He told Yugi, the false smile returned. “What I am about to show you is the biggest attraction of this opening ceremony! I've prepared a special show just for you, Yugi!”

Yugi blinked, blushing as he grinned. “Just for me?! Oh come on, you didn't have to!” As they walked closer to a set of doors, Yugi was surprised to hear loud cheering.

“It's beyond these doors! After you!” Kaiba offered. “You've got reserved seats!”

Jounouchi opened the doors for them, stepping into a very large room with Yugi. It was like an indoor stadium, with hundreds of people loudly cheering in the seats. In the center of the room was a large, glass box, a table, two chairs, and a person sat inside.

Orchid eyes widened in shock when Yugi realized who was sitting inside. “That's...! My grandpa!” He exclaimed. What in the world is Grandpa doing here?!

“Grandpa!” Yugi yelled, running up to the box.

Noticing someone approach out of the corner of his eye, Grandpa turned, shocked to see his grandson. “Yugi!” He pressed himself against the glass, yelling at him.

“Grandpa! I can see your lips moving, but I can't hear anything!” Oh dear, seems that the box was soundproof, could Grandpa hear him though?

No, it appears that Grandpa couldn't hear him either. He couldn't tell Yugi that Kaiba's men came to the shop last night and kidnapped him, threatening to kill Yugi if he didn't come along! But thank God, Yugi was safe and sound, he had been so scared...

Though Yugi couldn't hear him, he knew that his grandfather had just told him that Kaiba was up to something...

The crowd got louder and Kaiba stepped into the room, a serious expression on his face as he threw off his blue robe, approaching the box with his signature briefcase in his hand.

'Yugi... once you humiliated me by defeating me at Duel Monsters! The day has come to avenge that shame! You will repay me with your death!'

Kaiba turned to the crowd, smirking. “For your entertainment, you will now witness a match of the world's number one collectible card game, Duel Monsters! My challenger is this gentleman, Mutou Sugoroku! He is said to be a game master who has never lost a duel!”

“Duel Monsters?!” Yugi gasped. “Grandpa and Kaiba?!” This can't be good, no, no, no...! Was this Kaiba's plan all along?! He felt Yami stir him him, but he pushed him back, no! He could handle this, stay back!

Grandpa shuffled his deck, looking over his deck, he was determined to win, for Yugi's sake. Kaiba stepped into the box, closing the door behind him. “Hehehe, listen, old man...” Kaiba's voice could be heard through a speaker on top of the box. “Don't hold back! Hit me with your strongest cards!”

The older man narrowed his plum eyes. “Don't worry... I plan to!” His deck held some of the strongest cards in the world, including the ultra rare Blue Eyes White Dragon! The moment he drew that card, he knew he'd win!

Kaiba clucked his tongue, frowning. “Life points are 2000, forty cards in your deck! Game Start!”

He grabbed at his deck, drawing his cards, before looking up at Grandpa. “Incidentally, old man, this cube is a high-tech product made especially for this game... it may be hard on someone of your advance age.” At Grandpa's confused expression, Kaiba chuckled. “Let me show you, when I place this card the field...”

He set down his Hitotsu-Me Giant card, and a terrifyingly real looking form of the monster on the card appeared before Grandpa, frightening him greatly! “The four walls of the cube project the card as a three dimensional image! This a virtual simulation box made just for duels!”

Sure, Kaiba couldn't make images with magic like the Other Yugi could, but he had the next best thing, his technology. Heh, his money could buy powers, just like his!

Grandpa gulped, trying to steady his heart. “You'll give me a heard attack with these graphics... it's my turn!”

The duel began and so far, it was an even match, they were both highly skilled and it was nearly impossible to tell who would win. Yugi was nervous, scared, the last time he had seen Kaiba duel was against the witches, and in that duel...

He had summoned two Blue Eyes White Dragons.

Yugi hoped that his grandfather would summon his own before Kaiba could play his on the field...

Grandpa frowned, looking over at Kaiba. “Ho ho... this young man is pretty good... even if he doesn't know how to use spell cards properly.” Reaching over, Grandpa drew his next card, smirking a bit. “It's over Kaiba, I win. I've drawn the Blue Eyes White Dragon! When I put this card down, it's game over!”

Kaiba was actually surprised, he hadn't expected the other duelist to put the card in his deck, he thought it was in the box like before. He watched as Grandpa set the card on the field, before he smirked, deciding to make his own move.

“Then I... choose to play this card.”

Grandpa's eyes widened in shock when he saw the monster come to life on the field. Then the ones that followed on Kaiba's next two turns...

This boy... this terrible boy...

He had the last three Blue Eyes White Dragon cards on the field, his own was no match against the combined attack of nine thousand attack.

“I lose...!” Grandpa hissed, no, this was impossible!

Yugi felt a terrible ache in his heart from both himself and his other half at the realization of what happened. “Grandpa lost...!”

The older man frowned, how in the world did Kaiba get a hold of those rare cards!?

Kaiba chuckled, putting his cards away in his deck. “Only four copies of the Blue Eyes are known to exist. Of course, they are in the hands of fanatic collectors around the world. I searched them out... one in America, one in German, and one in Hong Kong... and of course, you, old man!

“Of course, know of them agreed when I told them to hand it over... so I used a bit of force... I used my wealth to force them to bankruptcy, or I made deals with the mafia... one of them even committed suicide!”

Plum eyes widened in shock, what a terrible young man! This boy was a monster in human skin!

Reaching across the table, Kaiba snatched up Grandpa's dragon, glaring at the card, the one that had betrayed him in the shadow game. He ignored the look in the dragon's eyes, the feeling of red eyes always watching him, as he put both his hands on the card, and tore it right down the middle. “This is your punishment for losing to me! And to your card for betraying me last time!”

'You see that, Yami Yugi!? How about I fuck with you this time with the dragon!'

Grandpa stared with wide, hurt eyes as his card was torn in two, no...! His special gift, his most prized possession...!

Kaiba laughed loudly, manically. “Now _I'm_ the only one with this card in the entire world!” His smirk turned wicked. “And now, old man! I'll give you a penalty game!”

Grandpa blinked, watching as images began to appear in the box. Monsters, beasts, demons, came to life before his very eyes. They screamed and roared, touching him, scratching at him, ignore his screams of fear.

“You'll 'know death' by virtual reality!” Kaiba yelled with glee, watching the older man suffer.

“GRANDPA!” Yugi screamed, watching his grandfather yell and try to fight off the monsters in the box. He felt the darkness try to take over. “No! No! Don't!” He yelled, at Kaiba, or at Yami, he didn't know, but only the latter listened to him, backing off.

Kaiba stepped out of the box, approaching Yugi with a satisfied smirk on his cold face. “Kaiba!” Yugi glared. “Let my grandpa out of that box!”

“Hehe... we've done human experiments in that simulator. We discovered that the average person goes insane in about ten minutes. If we don't stop it soon, your grandfather will be destroyed...”

Yugi's eyes widened, feeling his whole body go stiff at the cold, emotionless words of Kaiba.

The smirk on the taller boy's face grew. “I have on condition for stopping the simulator! You must swear to face the hidden attraction of Kaiba Land, Death-T! The theme park of death that I built to exact my revenge on you!”

He knew it, Yugi knew that Kaiba did all this to get back at him! He should have stopped him before the duel! He should have confronted him, and now his grandfather was in trouble, and Yugi would have to finally confront Death-T!

“In five more minutes, your grandfather will either go insane, or die! This is a testament to those who defy me! Yugi, I'm doing to him what you did to me so long ago! It's the least I could do to 'repay' _him_! Yugi, I will stop the Experience of Death if you swear to face my Death-T!”

Yugi didn't need to think this over, he knew he'd face it sooner or later.

“I understand! I'll face Death-T!”

Kaiba nodded, telling one of his employees to shut off the box. When the machine went off, the illusions vanished and Grandpa dropped against the wall, gasping hard, his face pale. Yugi threw open the door and ran inside. “Grandpa! Grandpa, are you alright?!” He rushed over, helping him sit up.

“Y-Yugi... I'm sorry... I lost...” Grandpa wheezed out.

Yugi let out a chocked sob, tears falling from his eyes. “Grandpa! I don't care, you did your best!” He was more worried about his health right now than the duel itself.

“He's... a terrible young man... he'll do anything to win, even taking a person's life...”

“Don't talk...!”

Grandpa was breathing hard as he held his hand up, showing Yugi that he had been clutching his deck of cards. “Yugi... t-these are the cards I used in my duel... I lost, but to me, these cards are my soul... take them...”

The younger Mutou sniffed, taking the cards carefully. A determined look overcame Grandpa, masking his pain. “Yugi, I know you can defeat that young man!”

Yugi felt a wave of hope wash over him, and he nodded. “I got it, Grandpa! I'll beat him!”

'I'll defeat Kaiba with the cards of Grandpa's soul!'

“Yugi!” Jounouchi called out, approaching the box. “I called the ambulance, they're here! Quick, help your grandpa...!”

Yugi helped his grandfather out of the box, letting the paramedics take him away on a stretcher. He was sorry he couldn't go along with him, but Yugi had to face Death-T, he had to avenge his grandpa, and stop Kaiba!

There was a mocking laugh from behind him, but Yugi wouldn't give Kaiba the satisfaction of looking at him. “Yugi! I see you holding your loser grandpa's cards. You think you can defeat me with those?!”

“I promised my grandpa.” Yugi replied, still not looking at him. “I'll beat you with these cards!”

“Oh, you will, will you? I have three of the most powerful cards on Earth! Now you don't even have one Blue Eyes in that deck!”

When Yugi finally did look at him, Kaiba wasn't happy that he didn't see crimson eyes, but there was some form of enjoyment in seeing furious orchid eyes. It was only a matter of time before the other one showed up...

Yugi glowered at him, Kaiba was a fucking coward, tearing up the Blue Eyes, just because it had betrayed him once, just because Kaiba was scared to lose once more.

Kaiba smirked at him. “Hehe... don't worry. A rematch with you is what I've wanted from the beginning. Well... not you, per say, but you know what I mean.”

Like hell, Yugi thought, his other half was not going to be involved in this right now.

“The stage for our duel will be at the dome at the top of this building! We're on the second floor now. Each deadly game you clear brings you closer to the top! But you will never conquer Death-t!”

Jounouchi narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. “Kaiba! Count me in too! I'm not letting Yugi go alone!”

Yugi blinked, but smiled. “Jounouchi!” He just knew his best friend always had his back, and vice versa!

Kaiba shrugged, smirking. What did it matter to him if there were more involved? It always was more fun to watch multiple people squirm, and besides, he could ruin this friendship with his games.

“Listen, Kaiba!” Jounouchi huffed. “I could punch in your lily white face right my fist, right here and now! But that wouldn't mean anything for Grandpa! Yugi'll beat you at your own game! He's gonna whoop your ass at Duel Monsters with a defeat the likes of which you ain't ever seen before! And I'll stake my life to help him get there!”

“Don't forget about me!”

Jounouchi and Yugi turned to the new voice, shocked to see Honda behind them, with... uhh...

“Honda! What's with the kid on your back?!” The blond hollered, looking at the baby that was sitting in a carrier that Honda wore on his back.

Honda sighed, glancing back at the kid. “Ah, this thing? My sister made me babysit her kid. He kepy whining to go to Kaiba Land... we were in the audience when things started getting weird and you guys showed up! Good thing I was here, you look like you need a hand! Count me in, Yugi! You're not going in there without me!”

Yugi smiled, thankful for his friends' help.

“Yaay Kaiba!” The child cheered happily. “Kaiba's gonna win!”

The brunet growled and bonked his nephew on the head. “Shut up, ya little brat!” Which caused the baby to cry.

“That hurt, Hiroto!” The baby glared. “I'll tell Mommy!”

“Just shut up!”

Yugi chuckled a little, wiping at a stray tear that fell from his eye. 'Honda, Jounouchi... you're doing all this for me... thanks guys...'

Jounouchi turned, glowering at Kaiba. “So let's start this game already!”

“Fine then,” Kaiba spoke, smirking, “I'll bury you all in the same grave!” He turned, gesturing to another set of doors, this time large, metal, and with the words DEATH-T painted on them. “Open the gate of Death-T!”

The doors began to open with a loud hiss as smoke came from them. Yugi gulped, staring at the darkness that laid beyond them. 'What horrible things are waiting for me behind those doors...?'

“Step through the gate, Yugi!” Kaiba announced. “We're all waiting for you!” The crowd cheered, having no idea of what the situation was, or what was going to happen, but they were excited about all of this.

Yugi, Honda, his nephew, and Jounouchi stepped through the doors and into a long hallway, glancing back, Yugi saw Kaiba standing at the entrance. “Yugi! I'll be waiting for you at the top!” He said, laughing as the doors closed.

There's not turning back now...

**GAME START**

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go, the start of the six part Death-T arc (yes, six parts, each game is a chapter, and this one is included in the mix).
> 
> Next chapter: The first of five games stars for Yugi and his friends, a simple game of laser tag, right? No, it can't be that easy, not for something called Death-T.
> 
> Please comment! I love hearing feedback!


	22. Shooting Stardust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is part two of the Death-T arc, the first game.
> 
> Warning: Again, Kaiba's a dick, Anzu gets hit on by a pervy baby, and people get hurt.
> 
> On with the fic!

Jounouchi shivered as he looked around in the hall that he walked down with his friends. “Hey... this feels creepy... and it's dark...” He hated this kinda shit.

“You're not scared, are you, Jounouchi?” Honda teased. “How far does this damn tunnel go...?”

“There's the stupid game?!”

In just moments, they came to the end of the hall, where another door, similar to the gate they entered through, stood before them. It had DEATH-T 1 written on it.

“Death-T one..!” Yugi gasped, this was the first game?!

Suddenly, the doors opened, and a loud, female voice called out 'EMERGENCY!' in the hall as they walked past the gate. Another voice followed suit, of a young woman screaming for help. As she approached, the trio of friends gasped, startled by who it was!

“Anzu?!” Jounouchi exclaimed, looking at the confused girl, wearing a strange vest.

“Whaa?!” She gasped. “What are you doing here?!”

“That's my line!”

Anzu blinked. “I started working at this amusement park today! I lost my job at Burger World when I punched out a customer who touched my butt. So I applied at Kaiba Land! They put me in this costume and made me the guide for the game. You guys surprised me!”

Jounouchi raised an eyebrow. “So, why did you yell 'help'?”

“It's an act! Part of this game! After that, I say this line to the customers...! 'The enemy is about to blow up this space station! You are the only ones who can save it! Put on your cyber vests and defeat the intruders with your laser guns!'”

The blond grimaced at this. “Anzu, how can you act like that at a time like this?!”

“...I practiced hard! My acting isn't that bad!”

“Sheesh! Are you stupid?! Do you have any idea what this theme park is about?!” At the confused look she gave him, he figured she was better off not knowing.

“Anyway,” Honda spoke up, “the first game looks like a shootout.” This was right up his alley.

“There are the cyber vests and lasers!” Yugi pointed to the vests on the wall that looked just like the one Anzu wore. After they trio suited up, Anzu explained that this was a three on three match, and the battle was going to take place in the electrical field behind the next gate.

She then explained that their goal was to hit a censor that was located on the left side of the chest, above the heart. If hit, it gives off a light vibration you feel throughout your body, and when you get hit there, it means you're out. The first team to lose all their players loses, then it's game over!

Yugi frowned, this is way too simple, there has to be some sorta trap behind this game that Kaiba's got planned. But what could it be...?

Honda turned to Anzu, holding out his nephew. “Hey, Anzu! Could take care of this kid during the game?”

Anzu blinked, giving Honda a look. “I-Is he yours, Honda?!”

“Hell no! Are you crazy?!”

The baby happily cooed as he was held by Anzu, she thought he was rather cute.

… Until he just up and planted his face right into her breasts, his happy coos turning much more suggestive and dirty. Yeesh, this kid's a perv...

–

Kaiba glared at the monitor, before turning to the employee in the room with him. “Who the hell hired Mazaki!? She's one of Yugi's friends!” Kaiba hadn't known that she had been hired, god damnit, he was going to have to look over employee files better...

“Ah well...” He sighed, crossing his arms. “Death-T one, Stardust Shootout, they've entered the electrical field. Is our team ready?”

The employee nodded. “Yes sir! We have prepared a special team to face the three of them! Each one is a pro in his field!”

Kaiba smirked, switching his monitors to display the three men's profiles on the screens. There was Johnny Gayle, a former green beret commander, who specialized in guerrilla warfare. Next was Bob McGuire, a former SWAT team leader, a long distance sniper. Last was a man whose only information was that he was an assassin who had no living targets.

“Hehe... it's over already, Yugi. The guns I've given you are mere toys... but if the lasers that these three hold hit the sensor on your vest, you'll be shocked with a million volts! I'll be watching you play this death game, Yugi... and nothing will give me more pleasure!”

**GAME START!**

–

The three boys stepped into the room, along with the three men. Suddenly, the square plates on the floor came to life, showing that they were really television screens. A busty woman smiled at them, happily welcoming them to Kaiba Information.

She vanished, and was replaced by Kaiba. He smirked as he looked at Yugi, who looked rather shocked to see him. “Hello again, Yugi!” He announced. “Welcome to Death-T One, the first game of the theme park! The three enemies you are about to face are mercenaries I've hired especially for this game! Is you're lucky, you'll die in a blaze of glory, like a shooting star across the sky!”

Jounouchi growled, glaring down at the screen, even giving it a good stomp. “Listen up, bowl head! Your games suck! We're gonna make it to the top!”

'And I'll challenge you again with Grandpa's cards!' Yugi thought. 'I promise, Kaiba!'

The brunet just smirked, these fools had no idea what was in store for them. “Enjoy your last game.” He told the boys before the screens turned off, the floor returning to normal.

Jounouchi huffed, looking at his friends. “Alright! Concentrate, everyone!”

“Kaiba will do anything to win! The enemy will be tough!” Yugi spoke up.

Honda chuckled, looking rather proud. “No problem! I'm an ace with model guns! When I was a little kid, I could hit a 100 yen piece with a BB gun at 50 feet!”

With that, they moved in to start the game, ducking down to hide, ready to attack when needed.

Meanwhile, across the playing field, the mercenaries spoke amongst themselves, figuring out who would go in first. Johnny figured he should do it first, since he was an expert in guerrilla warfare, knowing that he had the upper hand in this game.

Ducking down, he started to make his way to the other side.

As this was happening, Jounouchi squirmed, getting impatient. “Hey!” He whispered. “What are we waiting around here for?”

Honda glared over at him. “Idiot! Stay still! Let them make the first move!” He whispered back. He turned, glancing around the corner. In tight quarters like these, you only move forward when you secure a good position, that a sure survival technique.

Yugi was gonna follow Honda's advice, just stay put and wait for them to make the first move, so they could strike back against the enemy. He felt Yami stir, sensing that the spirit was worried and cautious, but luckily he was listening to Yugi, he was staying put. Yugi smiled a little, sending him a feeling of reassurance.

The blond sitting next to him huffed, pouting. He wasn't just gonna deal with sneaking around! A real man faces his enemy! 'I've had enough of this!' He thought as he climbed up the wall they had been hiding behind, startling his friends.

The coast was clear and Jounouchi grinned. “Yeah! Now I've got room to fight! Here I come!” He yelled as he jumped onto the different walls.

“Jounouchi?!” Yugi gasped, while Honda called him a moron as they watched him.

Johnny was still making his way over to their side, having no idea what was going on above him, until a shadow loomed over him. He gasped, seeing a blond boy looking down him with a smirk. “Found one!” The boy announced, holy shit, how did he come up with a more surprising attack than him!?

However, Johnny was the one with weapons training, so he could still win this! He took aim, grinning. “Die!” He yelled, just as he was about to pull the trigger.

And Jounouchi stomped on his face.

“K-Kamikaze boy...” He gasped as he fell back, passing out.

Jounouchi grinned wickedly at him. “My way is faster!”

Yugi smiled brightly at this. “He did it!”

Honda blinked, he could only stare. “That idiot... he got one of them...”

The unconscious man's comrades saw the whole thing and decided to take the boys on, now that they were exposed. Jounouchi yelped, trying to dodge the laser beams as he moved to dive behind a wall for safety.

“Alright!” Honda shouted. “They've shown themselves! You be the decoy, Jounouchi!” He narrowed his eyes, taking aim. “I'll finish them off!”

He spotted the bald one, getting a perfect shot. He took aim and fired, hitting him right on the marker, but... that was weird, Honda had hit him dead on, why didn't he get shocked?

Yugi and Jounouchi fired at them, while the others continued their attack. Honda winced when his vest was shot at on the shoulder, actually feeling shocks of pain from where he had been hit! Wait a second... this was...

“Yugi! Jounouchi! We have to pull back!”

–

Anzu and the baby in her arms looked at the screen, watching the action. “Wow!” She smiled. “The guys got one of the enemy, so they're ahead!”

The baby smirked, his cheeks flushed as he looked at Anzu. “Hey, Anzu, baby! Let's ditch those guys and go for a date in the park!”

Feeling uncomfortable, Anzu winced as she looked at the child. “You... act awfully mature for a baby. What was your name again?”

“My name? I'm Johji! Good to meet you! Y'know, there's this cool milk stand in the park... whatcha thing...?”

The doors behind them opened and Honda stormed in, followed by Yugi and Jounouchi. “Hey, Hodna! Why are we running away?!” The latter complained. “It's not cool to show your back to the enemy!”

“You guys can't leave in the middle of the game!” Anzu frowned.

“What's wrong, Honda?” Yugi frowned, watching his friend.

Honda was quiet, his hands clenched at his side. “Yugi... this game is rigged!”

Orchid eyes widened and he felt Yami become alert, but he ignored him. “What?!” Damnit, he should have known! Kaiba never plays fair, does he!?

Growling, Honda threw his gun to the ground. “Our guns are useless! There's no way we can win! What a lousy trick... and it's all because of Kaiba, that son of a-”

He was cut off by someone else growling. Johji glared deeply at his uncle, holding up the gun that Anzu had on her person, pointing it right at the boys. “You big bully! Not only do you interrupt my time alone with Anzu, now you're talking bad about Kaiba! I won't let you get away with it!” He started firing and the older boys scattered, screaming.

A blast from the laser gun struck a vest that sat on the wall, right on the marker, and it burst brightly with violent shocks of electricity!

“What the?!” Honda gasped. “There was an electric shock when the laser hit the sensor on that spare vest!”

Yugi's eyes widened greatly as he stared at the vest, he felt his skin crawl as fear pooled in his stomach. 'If that had been one of us...'

Pissed off, Honda snatched the gun from Johji, looking it over. “I knew it! Anzu's gun and our guns look the same, but they're built completely different! So that's it, those mercenaries have real laser guns! They've got lethal weapons!”  
  
Jounouchi frowned, pissed off. “Kaiba Corp didn't know Anzu was out friend when they hired and gave her than gun.”

Anzu shuddered, now she was pissed off. “That's it! I quit!”  
  
Yugi was shaking with rage, and he knew this was his own, not Yami's. 'Curse you, Kaiba! Is this cowardly killing game part of your theme park of death?! How pathetic...'

Honda thought on this before a realization came to him. “But now we have at least one gun we can face them with. Kaiba didn't predict this!”

“There are only two enemies left.” Yugi spoke up. “But they're both pros. What can we do with one gun?”

“I'll do another surprise attack!” The blond spoke up, which Honda rejected quickly. That trick won't work again, the first time was a miracle!

Johji glowered at his uncle. “Shut up! Kaiba's the greatest! You guys better stop saying bad things about him! I'd like to shoot _you_ with the gun!”

Honda looked at his nephew, seeing the sour look on the baby's face, before an idea came to him! One that he was sure Kaiba would not see coming. “Leave this to me.”

–

The doors opened and only Honda stepped into the arena, catching the attention of the two mercenaries still in the room. The nameless one frowned, looking at the brunet. “Hmph! Hey, one'a the kids came back.”  
  
Honda just stood there, watching them quietly. The nameless man smirked. “Are you going to keep playing?” He asked in a mocking tone.

“Hehe, that's real good...” Bob grinned, ready to get this over with so he could get paid. “... 'Cause it's two 'gainst one! Yew don't stand a chance on yer own!”

The younger of the three dropped his gun, raising his hands into the air, as if to surrender. This got the men laughing loudly at his actions. “So yew chickened out?!” Bob asked as he laughed. “Yew gonna surrender?!”

“But I'm afraid it's no use.” The nameless killer replied.

“Yeah. Whut he means is ol' Kaiba boy told us to kill yew! So say yer prayers!”

“It's execution time!”

Honda gulped, and quietly whispered 'now!'.

Attached to the back of his vest was the baby carrier, and Johji. The baby was gleefully smirking as he held the second gun in his hands, he had been waiting for this moment since they walked in. He tossed the gun into the air, the mercenaries not even noticing as they were taking aim for the sensor.

'Take it, Hiroto!'

Quickly, Honda snatched the gun, pointed it at the other men, and fired. They screamed loudly at the electrical shocks they felt from their vests, enough pain shot through them to knock them unconscious. Honda stared down at the men, chuckling. “Haven't you ever watched any westerns? The hero is always the one who says the least! Oh, and don't worry... I turned the voltage down. You won't die!”

In the other room, the other three happily watched Honda and Johji's victory on the screen. “He did it!” Jounouchi cheered loudly.

“Yay Honda!” Anzu and Yugi added on, excited, seeing as the sharp shooter enter the room, with a very excited Johji looking over his shoulder.

“Hey, Hiroto!” The baby said. “I helped you out, so don't forget your promise!”  
  
With a heavy heart, Honda... explained to Anzu what it was that he promised Johji in order to get him to help with their plan to win the game. “WHAT?!” She screamed, eyes wide. “You want me to take a bath with that little perv?!”  
  
“Please, Anzu! I'm begging you...!” Honda sighed loudly, ignoring his nephew's loud cheers of joy behind him.

Jounouchi and Yugi decided to ignore the brunets, moving towards the next door to get out of here. One game down, just a few more to go...

Kaiba sat back in his chair, watching the group on the screens in front of him, a dark smile on his face.

'Well, so you've cleared Death-T One... but how will you fare in the next stage, Yugi?'

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but the next one will be LONG.
> 
> There are two mini games and one big game for Death-T Two. Fair warning... next chapter's first mini game is won with... uhh... if you've never read this part of the manga, it's kinda gross. I'll post a warning on the next chapter of what it is.
> 
> Actually, next chapter is gonna need some big warnings.
> 
> Next chapter: The next game will be a deadly set of games, putting fears and bravery to the test as Yugi and his friends have to face against the Murderer's Mansion.
> 
> Thanks for reading, please comment!


	23. The Murderer's Mansion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, just... lots of stuff came up, and I'm starting school next week, so I figured I might as well get this updated before then.
> 
> Here is chapter 23 of the story, and if you've noticed the chapter count for this fanfic, we only have this one and nine other chapters left to go before part one of this series is complete.
> 
> I can't believe I only have that much left to do, and then I can begin work on the Duelist arc.
> 
> Warnings: attempted murder (except that for all the Death-T chapters), mentioned murder, actual murder, electrocution (why is there so much of that in this series), shit (implied, but thankfully not seen in this), the attempted severing of limps, Kaiba is a sadistic fuck
> 
> By the way, I hate Johji, and I hate the first mini game, but it brings the series back to its roots of being a horror manga with a weird sense of humor. Still though, I hate Johji and his method of winning the game, thank God I don't have to write for him after this arc is over. 
> 
> On with the fic!

“Yeah! We are the champions!” Jounouchi loudly announced as they walked down another hall, making their way to the next game. “Bring on stage two!”  
  
He turned, smiling at Yugi. “We cleared that shooting game without a problem! It was a good warm up, but we're gonna really kick butt! Right, Yugi?”  
  
Yugi gave a nod, but he didn't look as excited as his friend. “I guess, but I still feel nervous! We could've died back there! And I'm sure Kaiba's next game will be even more dangerous!” He knew that Kaiba would expect him to get past the first game, he knew Yugi was going to keep going through these game, even with all the risks.

Kaiba expects him to get to the top for the final game, this is more of a show than anything else to him.

And...

A little part of Yugi knew that Kaiba was also expecting terrible things to happen to his friends along the way. They were gonna have to be very careful, anything could be a game and/or a method of killing them.

Kaiba was just that serious about his theme park of death.

Honda frowned, looking at Jounouchi, Yugi, and Anzu. “Yugi's right, don't let your guard down. The next game's at the end of this tunnel!”

“Hold on!” Anzu spoke up. “Why am I carrying this brat?!” The brat happened to be enjoying himself as he snuggled up to Anzu's chest.

Sighing, Honda shrugged. “Sorry, Anzu! Johji cries if he's held by someone else!”

“This is _your_ fault, so shut up!” She glared at him.

Johji smirked, wagging his eyebrows at her before noticing the very jealous expression on Yugi's face. He decided that now was a good time to give Anzu's breasts a little squeeze, this only served to piss Yugi off.

Yugi glowered at the baby, god damnit, really? Hitting on his friend right in front of him? He ignored Yami's questioning feelings, then ignored his soft snickering as his glare snapped down to his darkened shadow. He sent a clear message of feelings that screamed 'get back in the puzzle, I don't need your commentary right now'.

He saw Yami shrug before his shadow returned to normal. But he wasn't the only one to see the change in his shadow.

Kaiba stared at the screen in front of him, seeing Yugi's shadow move on it's own, raising an eyebrow at the fact that no one else seemed to take notice except for Yugi himself. He was a little annoyed that the other Yugi had yet to appear in his games, but he was sure that he'll make himself known when he is good and ready.

And Kaiba couldn't wait to watch him squirm...

He smirked as his eyes were focused on the screen still. “The fools, acting so proud because they cleared Death-T One. But they're starting to look like a worthy enemy. I spent a lot to build this theme park for Yugi, my monument to my revenge... I need to get my money's worth out of him.”

An announcement informed him that Yugi and his friends would be arriving to the next stage in just a few seconds.

Chuckling, Kaiba sat back in his seat, amused. “I wonder... how will they do in Death-T Two, the Horror Zone? Hehe...”

–

Five sets of eyes were wide as they stared at the display before them. It was very obvious it was designed to look like something out a horror movie's wet dream. The sign above the entrance was an old, rotten sign with a skull looking down on them, the sign had Death-T carved into it, while the number two was written in blood.

Jounouchi paled a few shades as he felt a terribly cold chill run up his spine.

He did not sign up for this...

“W-what's with the change in scenery?! It's creepy!” Yugi blinked, feeling very uncomfortable, even though this was fake and he was a guy who's had a ghost living with him since he was eight, this was still really scary!

“Yeah...” Honda nodded. “It sends a chill down your spine... Anyway! Let's keep moving!”

“Anzu!” Jounouchi yelled. “You go first!”

Anzu looked back at him, scoffing. “What happened to all that courage you just had?”  
  
“I... uh...” He looked away, looking so uncomfortable right now, he just wanted to get out of here. “I just hate this sort of thing, alright?” He screamed and jumped as he heard a new, creepy voice spoke up behind them.

“Welcome... to the horror zone...” The voice's owner began to cackle as he stepped out of the shadows, dressed in a cloak, holding a lantern. “Well, well... if this scares you, you won't survive the next ride, hahaha...”

“I-I wasn't scared, jerk!” Jounouchi exclaimed. “You just startled me!”  
  
The man ignored him, snickering at the blond's discomfort. “I will be your guide for the next attraction... please, follow me...” He moved on ahead of them and Yugi blinked, gasping.

“Hey, he's the butler from Kaiba's mansion!” He shouted, with Jounouchi agreeing, making the man twitch, costing him his composure.

“Ahem! … Now, step right this way, everyone...” The butler gestured to a strange contraption. It was a car of some sort, with five, metal seats. The design looked scary, especially with the skull and bones on it. The seats looked uncomfortable, and had attachments on them. What was this?

“This is the car which will take us to our destination! I trust you'll enjoy the ride!”

“W-we have to ride this?!” Jounouchi complained. “This is a haunted house ride!”

Yugi frowned, sensing a terrible feeling of dread from this. This can't just be a simple ride, he knew Kaiba had something planned... “Where are you taking us?!”  
  
The man only chuckled, grinning at the boy. “You'll find out if you get on...”

Honda frowned, feeling nervous. “We don't have a choice. We have to ride this to move on!” Johji happily shouted that he was going to sit on Anzu's lap, while Anzu looked uncomfortable with that. Jounouchi looked ready to pass out as they walked up to the car, getting into the first for seats, him and Honda in the front row, Yugi and Anzu in the next.

“Is everyone seated?” The butler asked, before smirking.

Suddenly, clasps closed down on their wrists. A metal helmet with a mic slammed down onto their heads, trapping the four seated passengers. Only Johji was free from this trap, but even he was startled and alert, but he wasn't the only one.

_Yugi, what's going on!?What is the frog man doing?!_

“W-we're trapped! We can't move!” Yugi gasped, trying to pull his wrists out of the tight cuffs. “Yami...” He whispered, looking at the shadow that appeared on the back of Honda's seat in front of him. No, no, he wasn't going to give up so easily! Whatever this was, he could endure it...!

He hoped...

“Hey you!” Jounouchi shouted. “What are you planning to do with us!?”

The man cackled loudly. “This is the beginning of our game of death... first, let me tell you where this ride leads... it leads to the Murderer's Mansion. Only in a theme park of death can an attraction of such refined terror be possible!”

“ _The Murderer's Mansion?!”_ Yugi and Yami both exclaimed at the same time, looking at the tiny man.

“Now... on the way to the Murderer's Mansion, you will enjoy this mini game, the Electric Chair Ride. However, if you're unlucky, you might end your life in this mini game... hahahaha!”

The frog man began to explain the rules of this game. They were each seated in a real working electric chair, ones that have sent many criminals to their deaths. When they enter into the game, they will see horrific sights and whatnot, and whatever they do, they cannot utter a single sound. “If you do...” He grinned. “The mic on your helmet will pick up a human voice... and run ten million volts of electricity through the chair you're sitting in!”

 _The Electric Chair Ride of Death!_ Yami growled, how far was he going to go for some stupid revenge over a game!?

'Kaiba...! How can you build such a terrible ride!?' Yugi thought, feeling up with rage once more.

“Hey everyone!” Jounouchi yelled. “Don't make a sound, no matter what!”

Everyone turned to look at him. “Jounouchi! You're the one most likely to scream!” They all shouted at him, to which he bashfully agreed.

“I want to go home!” Anzu cried. Yugi looked at her, frowning, he didn't want her to be involved with any of this, he's already dragged her into two games involving Kaiba already...

“I'm sorry, Anzu...” He mumbled. “It's my fault, I got you into this...”

“Don't worry, Anzu!” Johji spoke up, hugging onto her. “I'll protect you!” Women fall in love with guys who protect them on rides like this, he happily thought, before smirking at Yugi. He was loving making this star headed kid jealous.

Getting into the final chair before the group, the butler said that he will also be participating in this game, and will be under the same rules to make things fair. He was locked in, and a helmet was also secured on him. He knew this would be a fair game, as his helmet would pick up his voice if it came to that, which he was sure it wouldn't.

“Have you prepared yourselves?” He asked, though he didn't care, he started the ride anyway.

**GAME START!**

The large, wooden gates opened in front of them and the car moved down the track into total darkness. Everyone quietly thought the same thing as they slowly moved in the pitch black around them:

Don't make a sound!

Kaiba's butler grinned to himself, he was a master in all forms of torture, he knew exactly what would be needed to make these fools scream themselves to death! After all, he designed this ride, he knew what to expect, there was no chance of him screaming at all!

Everyone sat quietly in their seats, waiting patiently for what would come out of the shadows. Honda was tense, Anzu kept her eyes close, Johji was nervous, Jounouchi was already freaking himself out, and Yugi tried to stay strong. He liked monsters and stuff, but even he had no idea what to expect, and Yami couldn't help him, not on a ride like this, he didn't know what the other could even do to help them if something were to happen, he'd be restrained as well!

And he was sure whatever shadow powers the spirit could try to use might only make things more difficult.

Just as they were beginning to get themselves use to the darkness, they entered a new area, and it was shocking how none of them screamed.

Horrible beasts and creatures jumped at them, moved about and such. The scenery was like that of the worst, most horrific of haunted houses and horror movies. The group of five were stiff, eyes wide and faces pale as they moved agonizingly slowly through this horror ride.

'Impressive,” The butler thought, “so this level of terror won't make you scream... then how about this...'

A panel on his arm rest flipped, revealing buttons. He began to push them, causing air to release from small ports in the chairs, touching at his prisoner's skin. Hands and such came out as well, touching and groping at them, making everyone feel creeped out, and very, VERY uncomfortable.

Yugi was tense as he felt those creepy hands touching his face and hair, before his eyes moved to Anzu, seeing them touch her neck and breasts, groping her. She looked ready to scream, and Yugi wanted so badly to tell her to hang out, but he knew the risk.

Johji looked up at Anzu, seeing how terrified she was. 'Anzu! Crud, I don't care if the other three are fried to a crisp... but I have to save Anzu! I'll show her my manliness!' He moved and got off her lap, crawling down the car to the butler.

Blinking, Yugi watched Johji sneak off. 'I forgot! He can move around! We'll have to depend on him!'

The butler was having the time of his life as he pressed buttons, not noticing that Johji was there until the boy sat down on his lap, happily smiling up at him as baby's do.

'When did this kid get on my lap!?' The butler thought, shocked to see him, then watched as the boy got down, seeing the wicked smirk on his little, chubby face.

'Go to hell... baby!' Johji thought, happy about his plan.

The man blinked, noticing a weird warmth on his lap, followed by a terrible smell.

Oh... oh no! He didn't...!

Right there, on his lap, was... well...

The butler screamed at the sight, before ten million volts of electricity coursed through his body.

Johji felt pride in his accomplishment as he got back up on Anzu's lap, the girl looked a bit more relaxed now that the touching had stopped. Heh, he'd risk his life for the woman he loves.

Even Yugi had to admit that he was proud of the baby, he saved them! Even if it was in a rather... uhh... a rather gross way, but still! They could get through the rest of this ride without too much trouble!

Just a minute later, a set of doors opened and the car passed through them, coming to a complete stop before shutting down. The clamps came undone and the helmets came off. “Phew! We made it to the goal somehow! We can talk now!” Honda said, looking back at Yugi and Anzu, asking if they were alright. They told him that they were before he asked about Jounouchi.

Only to find that the poor blond had fainted, which is what clearly saved his life...

The frightened boy blinked, waking up from his spell, before letting out a horrified scream.

“Jounouchi... the ride's over...” Yugi sighed, happy that his friend was okay though.

“Hmph! These guys are pathetic! Why do you even hang out with them, Anzu?” Johji said in a snarky tone as he was held in the girl's arms.

Yugi rolled his eyes before gasping, seeing where the car had stopped. “We're here! This is the next game..!”

In front of them was a large, broke down, Victorian style mansion in a grave yard, a cliché of horror and terror in ghost stories and movies.

This was it, the Murderer's Mansion.

It sent chills down everyone's spines as they looked at the towering structure, the ceiling and walls around them almost didn't appear as such, the effects of a stormy sky were so well done that it seemed like they were really outside.

If it wasn't for the fact that this was all set up to kill him, Yugi would applaud Kaiba for his attention to detail.

Yugi's thoughts were taken from the house to a strange feeling in his pocket. Almost... like a beat, a soft one, but it was there, in his pocket. Digging into it, he pulled out his grandpa's deck of cards, shocked by how hard the beat felt in his hands.

It took him just seconds to realize that it was a heartbeat, a pulse!

“What's wrong, Yugi?” Jounouchi asked, seeing the uncomfortable look on his friend's face.

“These cards are telling me...” He gulped, looking at the deck. “Grandpa is in critical condition!” Yugi stared at the cards still, the fear in his expression dissolved into a look of determination.

'Wait for me, Grandpa! You said these cards were your soul! I'll defeat Kaiba with the heart of the cards!'

Jounouchi turned, making his way towards the mansion. “Come on! We can't wait around here! Hurry!”

“Let's go!” Honda shouted, following after him with Yugi, Anzu, and Johji trailing behind. “If what Yugi says is true, we have to clear this game as fast as we can!” With one strong kick, Honda got the doors to open, the echoing of the bang from them was loud in the cold, empty mansion.

Honda grimaced, looking around in the darkness. “Uhg, it's so musty in here. It sticks in your throat...”

Yugi nodded, glancing as best as he could. “It's too dark to see, we should stay still until our eyes adjust.”

Behind them came a loud bang that shook the foundation. The doors! They shut all on their own!

Walking over, Anzu tried to pry them open, only to find that they were locked shut. Jounouchi gave it a try, but they didn't even budge. “Does anyone have a wire of something?! I can open this door with something like that!”

“You have such strange talents, Jounouchi...” Anzu mumbled, before the baby in her hold spoke up loudly.

“Hey, Jounouchi! Why are you trying to open the door we came in from?” Johji glared. “We have to find the exit, dummy!”

Honda nodded. “Johji's right. We have to find the exit in order to move on.”

“Let's split up and look for the way out!” Yugi announced.

The group did so, moving around the room to find any sort of exit, from touching the walls, to moving what little objects were scattered about. Yugi looked around, only to notice something stuck on the visor of a suit of armor. Reaching up, he took the paper down, finding it written in red and in English. The word written on the old paper was B L L O O D.

“Blood?” Yugi blinked, looking down at his darkened shadow, showing him the paper. Yami gave a shrug, just as clueless as him.

_Maybe it's a clue for the game you have to play? Best to hold onto it, just in case. You never know if you might need it._

Yugi nodded, pocketing the sheet of paper as he heard Jounouchi shout about being unable to find an exit of any sort. Honda pointed out that the stairs are blocked off, there was no second floor! Their only way out was in this room it seems, but there was nothing to indicate that there was an exit!

A click, a flash, and above their heads was the floating image of Kaiba! He smirked as he looked down at the five people he had trapped in his game. “Welcome to the Murderer's Mansion.” He greeted, sounding very excited about this.

“He's floating in thin air!” Jounouchi gasped, though Yugi corrected him, saying that it was just a hologram.

Kaiba looked at Yugi, ice blue eyes staring right into a hard set of orchid ones. Hm, not red, damnit, when is the other Yugi going to make his grand appearance? Why is he holding back like this? Well, maybe the next to games will bring the brat out.

“I see you're searching for the exit to the mansion.” Kaiba spoke, looking smug. “Have you found it yet? Let me give you a word of warning... if you don't escape soon, something terrible will happen.”

He loved the uncomfortable faces he was seeing. “Let me explain why I call this the Murderer's Mansion... do you remember what happened last summer at the camp near Domino Lake? Those terrible murders that had all of Domino City cowering in fear?

“Ten boy scouts staying at the camp were murdered... all in one night... not even a master of puzzles would have been able to assemble those body parts back into a human form. Those boys were mincemeat. After that, the suspect came to be known as 'The Chopman'. He's still at large...”

Yugi winced, realizing where Kaiba was going with this story. “Hehehe...” Kaiba's smug smile turned into an amused smirk. “You've figured it out, haven't you? The Chopman is hidden in this mansion! Cruelty is considered an asset at Kaiba Corporation, we scouted the Chopman to manage this attraction in the theme park of death! So! Will you have able to escape this mansion without running into the Chopman?!” He laughed at their scared face, this was too enjoyable.

His amusement rose when he saw a flash of crimson in Yugi's eyes, a terrible thrill to his shadow. This is working so well for him, he just had to keep pushing this boy's buttons...

“However,” Kaiba let out a sigh, “I couldn't have you call this game _unfair_... so I'll give you a hint to find the way out of the mansion. Look at the wall behind you.”

Glancing behind themselves, the ground were stunned to see that on the wall behind them were found strange holes in the paneling. Above each hole was a number, 00, 01, 10, and 11.

“There are switches on the other side of that wall.” Kaiba continued. “If you press the right switch, the location of the exit will be revealed. Now, gather your courage and put your hands in the holes!”

Yugi felt a terrible sense of dread wash over him, like someone just dumped a bucket of ice water all over him. 'This is a trap!' He thought. 'There has to be some kind of trick!' Kaiba wouldn't make this easy, he knew that there was something deadly to this game!

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, grinning a little. “What is it, Yugi? You look suspicious... you'll never get out unless you press the right switch. Though I'm sure _you_ will be able to figure it out, oh master of games.”

It was obvious he was both referring to Yami and mocking Yugi with that statement, and Yugi, though not a violent person in general, felt a strong urge to punch Kaiba's teeth in to silence him. Huffing, Yugi approached the wall, slipping his hand in with the others, as Jounouchi grumbled about how stupid this was.

Just as all four of their hands were placed in the holes, something cold and metal suddenly snapped around their wrists tightly, keeping them in place. “Our hands are trapped!” Jounouchi gasped, just as Anzu screamed at something else.

That something else happened to be a guillotine blade that hung right over their wrists!

“Hahahaha!” Kaiba's laugh echoed in the room. “Only one of the switches is the real one! If you press the wrong switch, the blade will fall and cut off your hands! You have five minutes before the blade drops! Don't forget! You can only press _one_ switch!”

“Kaiba, you-!” Yugi growled, furious once more at how he was tricked into another trap! He knew this game was deadly!

“Heh, I've left a hint hidden in this room... I wish you luck!” With that being said, Kaiba vanished, leaving the five alone in the room, and the clock beginning to count down.

“This is impossible...!” Jounouchi shouted. “Which is the right switch?! I can't stand this! What's with all these games?!”

“These numbers must mean something!” Yugi huffed, staring at the four numbers they had been given. “00-01-10-11...”

“They're all ones and zeros.” Anzu frowned, turning to Yugi. “That's like... what's it called... that computer code...”

As Jounouchi and Honda struggled to figure out what the clue was that Kaiba left, Yugi felt a tickling at the back of his neck, before it slid down his left arm. Yami? Was he trying to tell him something, but without _actually_ telling him? Was this how he was staying out of the game?

It took Yugi a moment to get why he touched his left arm! In his left pocket, the sheet of paper! Yami had mentioned it could be a clue to a game, that had to be it! Pulling the paper out, Yugi looked at the red writing. “Blood...”

Honda reached over, taking it to look it over. “'Blood'?! What's this!?”

“I found this scrap of paper in this room.”

“That has to be it!” Anzu gasped.

“Fuck! I hate these kinds of puzzles!” Honda growled, giving Yugi back the sheet of paper as Anzu commented that he could solve it, after all, he did solve the Millennium Puzzle, the hardest puzzle out there. Johji sat back on the floor, watching the four teens struggle, he didn't really give two shits about what was happening right now.

Yugi stared hard at the paper, looking it over and over, before he noticed something about the lettering. 'That could be it! The word's misspelled! This must be the clue, it's supposed to be 'blood', but there's two L's!”

Honda shouted that they only had two minutes left, Yugi had better figure it out quickly!

The pressure and his friends worry were bringing Yugi to his wit's end, this was too confusing and he knew Kaiba got everyone worked up on purpose. God damnit, Kaiba, what is wrong with you! Yugi shook his head, no, no! He had to concentrate, for everyone's sake!

“Time is up!” Anzu screamed.

“The guillotine blade!” Honda stared at the blade as it started to move downwards.

Something clicked in Yugi's head, he finally figured it out! “It's Anzu's eleven! Push the button, Anzu!” He shouted at his friend.

She nodded and hit the button, just as the blade got closer to them, just mere inches... then it stopped dead. “The blade stopped! I was right!” Yugi happily shouted.

The clamps around their wrists released and everyone was safe, and very relieved. “How did you get the answer?” Anzu asked, smiling at the boy who let out a breath of relief.

“At first, I kept thinking about the meaning of the word blood!” Yugi began. “But the shape of the letters was what mattered! See, they made the word blood with just zeroes and ones! And when you look closely as the L in this world blood...” He pointed at the extra L in the word. “There's an arrow pointing down!

“That must mean that the exit is in the basement! So the right answer was the eleven that the arrow is drawn on, Anzu's switch!”

Honda smiled, pointing towards the space of floor behind Johji, where two doors opened up to reveal a latch and trap door that read EXIT. “You were right, there's an exit in the floor!”

They did it! They won the second game!

Or... maybe not...

Large hands reached out as the latch was thrown open, grabbing a hold of Johji, then yanking him in. The latch shut close and they heard a muffled scream from the loud mouthed child.

“Johji! Someone pulled him through that trap door!” Jounouchi growled.

“It must be that Chopman Kaiba was talking about!” Yugi gulped.

Honda was furious now as he approached the exit. “No way! We thought it was the exit, but it's really the entrance to a serial killer's hideout?!”

“Jeez...” The blond glowered. “I can't stand that little brat, but we can't leave him there with that nutcase! Let's go!”

Reaching out, they opened the latch, looking down at a flight of stairs that lead into darkness. Another scream for help came from within, it was Johji! They made their way down the stairs, carefully looking out for any signs of danger. Kaiba had the Chopman on his side, that means he was their enemy for more reasons than one, and this could all be a dangerous trap.

At the bottom of the stairs was a hallway, that lead to a dimly lit room, where Johji sat inside! He was on a pedestal of some sort. “Hey guys!” The baby shouted, smiling at them. “I'm in here! Come and get me!”

He was... terribly obvious of being a trick.

“Johji!” Honda yelled. “Tell the truth! Is anyone in there with you?”

Johji glanced around, saying that it was just lil' ol' him in there. Jounouchi winced, annoyed right now. “I don't trust that brat as far as I can throw him! That's gotta be a trap!”

“Oh please~! Help me, pretty please...!” Johji said, putting on his cutest voice and face.

This only served to piss Jounouchi off even more. “Now he's acting cute! If I didn't believe him before...! I just know it! That brat would betray us in an instant!”

Johnji glared, uhg, this was pointless! He turned to look at something behind him. “They're not coming in, sir!”

A deep, wet growl came from the darkness in the room, a growl that sent shivers down everyone's spine.

“H-he's talking to someone...!” The blond winced. Honda was ashamed, but not surprised that his nephew would betray them so quickly.

Another growl came from the darkness, a set of what could be eyes stared at them. This had to be the Chopman, it just just had to be...

The darkness lit up suddenly, with Kaiba's face on a TV screen of sorts! Kaiba looked just as smug and pleased as he had been when the clamps went around their wrists. “What do you think, everyone?” He asked. “Are you enjoying Kaiba Land's games of death?” He seriously had the audacity to talk as if this was the most normal, casual thing in the world?

Uhg, what a disgusting excuse for a human being...

“Kaiba!” Jounouchi shouted. “I don't where you're hiding, but if you have any guts, come out and talk to us in person!”

“Heh, of all games, I like card games the best...” Kaiba continued, ignoring the other boy. “But chess is my second favorite. Right now, you are living chess pieces on the giant board that is Kaiba Land. I watch as each move brings me closer to checkmate... and I'm enjoying it immensely.”

Yugi stiffed, a sudden burst of dizziness struck him, but he pushed the feeling aside. “No...” He hissed under his breath. No, this was his fight, he would let his other self be in control if he knew it was the right thing to do...

“Now, about the next game...” Kaiba carried on. “You will play in here with the Chopman. Select one person to enter this room. You can't avoid this game, you don't want to see this child's head cut off, do you?”

Large hands wrapped around Johji, squeezing him slightly, just enough to cause some pain. It was obvious that this man was holding back, he could just easily kill this child with one, good, tight squeeze...

“The Chopman obeys only my orders. If I saw the word, the boy dies.”

Johji nervously grinned at Kaiba. “Mister Kaiba, you're kidding, right...? You don't need to do that to beat them..! You wouldn't really hurt me, would you?”

“ _Kaiba, don you_ _ **dare**_ _touch that kid!”_ Yugi shouted, and Kaiba was so very pleased to heard the tone in the voice, the slight difference...

“Who will step up to play this game?” The brunet asked, just as the hands around the baby squeezed tighter...

Honda cursed under his breath, stepping forward to play, only to be stopped by Jounouchi. “Wait, Honda! Let me go! That weird looking diaperbag saved our lives more than once! I hate his guts, but I pay what I owe!

Kaiba smirked, with this move, he will capture Jounouchi the knight...

Just as the blond stepped into the room, a heavy, iron and wood door slammed down from the arch of the doorway, sealing him in! “Jounouchi!” Yugi shouted as he rushed up to the door, looking at his friend through the bars of the window. Shit, the door was locked!

Johji smiled brightly at his savior. “Jounouchi! I knew you'd come for me! Quick, save me!”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'...” Jounouchi mumbled, only to shout when he almost slipped. He was shocked to find that the floor was covered in oil, what the fuck?! He decided to ignore this weirdness as he reached out, grabbing onto Johji, only for the baby to slap a handcuff on him.

“Don't get mad a me...!” Johji winced. “Kaiba made me do it!”

“Why you...” Jounouchi growled, ready to fling this freaking punkass kid. “You little traitor!”

The room suddenly became bright as candles around them started to burn, just as Kaiba yelled that the game was set! In the light, Jounouchi found where the other cuff was located. On a long chain, connected to the one and only Chopman. A terrible, ugly man who was built like one hell of a brick shit house, wearing a mask made of flesh. He looked just like something out of a horror movie and Jounouchi was shocked that he had not fainted at the mere sight of this human monster.

He took notice that the screen that showed Kaiba was attached to the Chopman, along with a camera, which he was sure was how Kaiba could see them. “Hehe...” The brunet chuckled. “Allow me to introduce you! This is the Chopman!”

The Chopman let out a loud, wet breath, licking his non-existent lips of his flesh mask. “Master Kaiba! Cad I cud him ub? Id's been sooo long!”

“Not until I give the signal...” Kaiba told him before his attention went back to his classmate. “The rules of the game are simple. After the signal to begin, you each pick a weapon... and fight to the death!” Again, he spoke so casually! How much enjoyment was he really getting from these sick, twisted games!?

He informed them that their choices were hanging from the ceiling. Looking up, Jounouchi found man different melee weapons that could be used, but he knew that they were pretty much useless against the Chopman.

Shit, shit, shit! With the door locked, he couldn't escape. He couldn't fight with just one arm, since he held Johji, and he couldn't just put the kid down cause that asshole beast would just kill the poor kid! And the oil on the floor would make running and fighting even more difficult than it would be already!

Looking at the cuff on his wrist, Jounouchi really wished he had something on him to pick the lock. He knew he could get out of it easily, but he seriously had nothing on hand that could help him.

“ **Game start!”**

The Chopman let out a low chuckle as he started to climb the pedestal in the center of the room, where the chair was attached. He reached up, trying to pick a weapon out as Jounouchi turned to his friends at the door. “Hey! Any of you have some kind of wire?!”

“We'll find you something!” Yugi shouted back, but it was useless, they couldn't find anything that would work, and the Chopman made his choice.

“Ogay! I use dis!” He grinned madly as he held up a chainsaw, activating it, and moving to bring it down on Jounouchi. Quickly, Jounouchi was able to dodge, but it was hard to run, the oil was slick, not something he could just easily tread upon!

Suiddenly, he was yanked backed when the Chopman pulled on the chain, slamming Jounouchi against the pedestal. The serial killer brought down the chainsaw, but once more, he missed when the blond dodged, getting the tool stuck in the stone.

A lucky break for Jounouchi, but it would only be a matter of moments before that brute monster got the chainsaw free.

Jounouchi had to find something to pick the lock with, quick! “There has to be something! Something with a point...!”

Yugi watched on, trembling. 'At this rate...' He thought in fear, 'Jounouchi will die...!'

He felt a burst of warmth come from the puzzle, his eyes widening as they turned crimson for a moment. In his head, an image? A suggestion?

He saw a point, under melting wax...

Of course!

“Jounouchi! Over there!” Yugi pointed towards something on the wall. Jounouchi spotted it instantly, the candlestick holder, attached to the wall!

With a quick, careful pull, Jounouchi got it off the wall, removing the candle. He grinned, seeing that there was a long, thin point on the cup of the candlestick holder! With quick skills, he managed to undo the lock. 'But even with it off... the door's locked! And it's too heavy to burst through...!'

As if reading his thoughts, Yugi spoke up, telling Jounouchi he had another plan, feeling that weird warmth from the puzzle once more.

As this was happening, the Chopman yelled with glee that he had finally gotten the chainsaw free! He looked over at the boys, seeing them against the door, staring out the window. “You can'd hide ober dere!”

He threw back his arm, yanking hard on the chair. “I cud you ub! Cobe here!”

To both his and Kaiba's shock and horror, they realized what Yugi had told Jounouchi to do.

He had placed the cuff that had been attached to him onto one of the bars of the door, allowing for the monster to pull on the door with his strength, yanking it out of the doorway. And not only that, the candlestick holder was attached to the cuff as well, with the flaming candle still on it.

“I just used that monster strength of yours!” Jounouchi smirked. “Thanks for opening the door for me!”

He turned, stepping out of the room with Johji as the candle's flame touched the oil, setting it, and the Chopman, ablaze.

“Kaiba...” The blond spoke, knowing that the other could still hear him, even over the screams of pain from the serial killer, “when you teamed up with the Chopman, it was a demon's mind with a monster's power! That was a combo made in hell! Too bad it's over now!”

He put a hand on Yugi's back, gently pushing him along to the next past of Death-T.

“Come on, let's hit the next one.”

TBC

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck this chapter, it took too fucking long to write, and there were too many games for one event.  
> But now I just have to write the next three games and Death-T will be over. But Death-T 5's chapter will be a long one, since I have to write the big scene with Mokuba and Kaiba's backstory, and then I have a big scene planned for Yami and Jounouchi.
> 
> By the way, some interesting facts: Both Yami and Jounouchi have set killers on fire in the manga, both in order to save people. Also, the Chopman appears in the Destiny Board Traveler game, but you don't fight him, he's just in Mokuba's level, Kaiba Land. He's a background character that you see, alongside Honda and Anzu (who I think is holding Johji). It's weird though, the level is based on Death-T 4, so why is he there?
> 
> Anyway... moving along.
> 
> Next chapter: Two down, three to go, Yugi and his friends are stuck in the third level of Death-T, with no clue of what the game is, and how to play it. But while he struggles to figure out the game, he also struggles with issues with himself.
> 
> Please comment! I love hearing feedback, it keeps me going with this story!


	24. Terror Cube

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, this chapter, the one where something terrible happens to Honda.
> 
> Warnings: emotional stuff, very sweet scene, mild panic attack, someone might die, Kaiba continues to be a Grade-A bitch in this arc
> 
> On with the fic!

There it was again! The pulse in his pocket, from the Duel Monsters cards!

Yugi pulled them from his pocket, staring at the deck, feeling his grandfather’s unstable heartbeat, oh no… no! Yugi wasn’t going to give in, this was a sign, he knew it, Grandpa was just as determined as him to see this through!

They would defeat Kaiba together with this deck, with the Heart of the Cards.

“Yugi! Look!” Honda’s voice snapped the boy back to reality. “There’s the entrance to the next game!”

Honda pointed towards a door at the end of the hall, yeah, that looked like what they needed to get to. “We’re getting closer to that jerk Kaiba, one step at a time.”

Yugi nodded in agreement as Jounouchi moved on ahead, telling them to hurry up.

Kaiba stared at the running group from the control room he sat in. He rested his cheek on his hand as he watched the boy who carried the soul of his rival in him, a small, cruel smile forming on his lips. “So they’ve made it to “Death T-3”… not outside the realm of chance, but… looking over their progress, I see some factors I underestimated…”

He didn’t like that, a mild flaw in his thought-out plans of revenge.

“They’re a good team… their close friendship has been the real key to beating the games… I need to break up that union.” Kaiba pondered to himself out loud. The cruel smile turned into a devilish one as he though this over.

“After all, friendship is just an illusion, everyone cares the most about themselves. When they find themselves in real trouble, they’ll soon betray their friends to save their own hides! That’s where Death T-3 comes in…”

He laughed as he sat back, ready to watch the show.

\--

The group came to the end of the hall, seeing the doors open up, the words ‘DEATH T-3’ were painted above the entrance. Jounouchi gulped before moving to step inside.

“What could come after the Horror Zone?” He asked. “Kaiba designed this theme park, you know it’s gotta be something even more cheap and sadistic!”

Well… Jounouchi found that he was rather off as he and the others stepped into the giant room.

“There’s nothing here!” Yugi exclaimed, shocked. “It’s an empty room!” A second later, there was a loud bang, the sliding doors at the entrance slammed shut. Locked, meaning that their way to escape was cut off, but the four, excluding Johji, decided to look around for a way out anyway.

The room was rather large in size, but it was so featureless. The walls were bare, white, same with the floor, though cut into squares. Tightly packed squares, seeing as no amount of shoving could budge them, to find a secret switch or anything of the sort. The blocks were so tightly packed together, not even an ant could get through.

“There’s nothing!” Jounouchi shouted in annoyance.

“The ceiling’s pretty high!” Honda pointed out, Yugi looking up to see what he was talking about.

The smaller boy frowned, biting his lip. “It’s too dark to tell, but maybe it’s open at the top…” He mumbled, trying to stay hopeful of the situation. But he felt so much dread and worry inside, and it didn’t help that it was doubled by the spirit. He glanced at his shadow, seeing that moments before, Yami had tried to find a way out as secretly as he could, but even he couldn’t find a clue.

The dread and worry from his other half was made worse by the feeling of failure and Yugi… couldn’t even blame him for feeling that, because he too was feeling something like that right now…

“There’s a hole in the wall up there!” Honda spoke, pointing at a square hole in the wall in front of them, across from the entrance. “It’s about ten meters above the floor.”

The blond groaned, scratching at his head. “They can’t expect us to climb up there! They’re nothing we can do!”

Yugi clutched at his shirt tightly, he felt overwhelmed, scared… and so guilty as he dropped his gaze to the floor. “Maybe… maybe we’re trapped here… and this was Kaiba’s plan all along…” He mumbled, mainly to himself, but the hand on his shoulder let him know that Jounouchi heard him.

His best friend looked at him with sharp eyes, but he too was scared, though Yugi knew that Jounouchi was trying to keep a brave face in this situation. “Yugi! Don’t give up, okay?!”

Orchid eyes stared into honey brown and Yugi could only nod. “Okay… we’ll just have to wait and see what happens…”

\--

It’s been over an hour since they entered the room and nothing has occurred, all they could do was sit and wait.

“Johji’s sound asleep.” Anzu spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. “He must be exhausted.”

“This whole thing must be hard on a little, talking, pervy kid like him.” Honda scoffed, but at least the kid was asleep and not sitting in uncomfortable tension like the other four.

Yugi wasn’t even listening to them as he sat, his knees drawn up to his chest. He was alone with his thoughts, he even blocked out the worried questions of his other self, the whispered worries and attempted words of comfort went unheard as Yugi stared at the floor.

The uncomfortable feeling was back, tenfold. His chest hurt from how tight it felt, his palms were sweaty, and he felt like he might be sick from the horrible thoughts and feelings inside of him.

‘We’ve been here for ages…’ Yugi thought to himself as he felt a prickling of tears in his eyes. ‘Nothing has changed… maybe… maybe it _does_ end here… Grandpa, everyone…’

Yugi gasped, slamming his fists onto the ground as he finally let the tears fall. “I’m sorry!” He screamed. “I’m sorry everyone! It’s my fault! All of this…! If I weren’t here, if… if I hadn’t… then none of this would have happened…!”

Jounouchi’s eyes widened before narrowing as he grabbed Yugi by his jacket, bringing the boy up to his feet when he himself rose up. Fury was in his eyes as he stared down at the boy. “That’s enough, Yugi! Don’t you _dare_ say that again!”

“Stop, Jounouchi!” Anzu yelled, shocked by the other’s behavior.

Honda glared at his friend, also rather surprised by his reaction. “What’s the matter with you?!”

Yugi blinked, staring at his glaring, angry friend. “J-Jou…”

“Don’t say things like that, Yugi!” Jounouchi frowned, his expression softened, but he still looked upset, bit hurt. “Don’t you understand why we came with you?! It’s because we’re friends!”

A hand reached out, gently resting on one of Jounouchi’s fists. “Anyway… Jounouchi, let go of his collar.” Honda spoke softly. “You’re not the same Jounouchi who used to beat him up, remember?”

Carefully, the blond released Yugi’s jacket, and he stared at his shaking hands. “Honda, we’ve been such stupid punks…”

“Yeah… we were stupid punks, alright…”

Jounouchi inhaled through his nose deeply, before letting out a soft sigh. “Living in a stupid society… with stupid parents… and my stupid self. I had a shit life and I made it worse for myself with my god-awful actions and choice. I never learned to like myself…”

He turned, looking down at the smaller boy. “Until I met you, Yugi.”

Yugi blinked, startled by this confession.

Jounouchi continued, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You were this innocent, little kid, who just wanted to play games, who talked to some imaginary friend cause he didn’t really have anyone else to talk to. A kid who had a lot of troubles but tried not to let any of them get to him, but he was also the kid who everyone took advantage of! At first, I couldn’t stand to watch you! I thought you were an idiot…”

His eyes softened again, filled with emotions of guilt and self-loathing. “But… I wasn’t really mad at you, Yugi… I was mad at myself. You and I were both troubled kids, but we dealt with it, and our lives, in different ways…”

“I know how you feel. I was the same.” Honda said, adding in his two cents. “I would get so wound up, I just needed to pick a fight, it didn’t matter who. Some local punks, even a telephone pole… I’d hit them with everything I had… then I’d realize, the person I really wanted to hit, was me…”

“I took up the whole beautification thing to change my anger outlet, to do better things when I was stressed. It sorta works, heh.” He sheepishly shrugged.

Anzu, Yugi, and even Yami were rather surprised that these two were so open about their troubles, about how shitty they had been because of themselves, only for good things to come from becoming Yugi’s friends.

Jounouchi looked at Yugi, before gently taking the puzzle into his hold, looking at the golden object now. “Yugi, you remember when I stole a part of your puzzle?” He got a nod in response. “When I gave that back… you can laugh, but that took more courage than anything… but, just then, I started to like myself a little bit, for the first time in my life…”

He dropped the puzzle and put his hands on Yugi’s shoulders. “Listen to me, Yugi! You know what friends are?! They’re something you like! And because of them you learn to like yourself! That’s why I hang out with you, Yugi! You’re my best friend and one of the best things in my life! So if it hurts, or whatever… let me share it! That’s what friends are for!”

Yugi’s eyes widened as tears came down his cheeks. This… this made him feel so much better, those words, this moment, he felt his worries and guilt ease up as he smiled at the taller boy. “Jounouchi… thank you…” He said softly, still smiling as more tears fell.

Jounouchi smiled gently, leaning down to be at eye level with him. “I’m not giving up yet, so don’t you give up either! Okay, Yugi?”

“O-okay.” Yugi nodded, rubbing at his eyes.

Anzu watched her friends before smiling. “No one learns to like themselves on their own, it’s a big game you play throughout your life.” She glanced around before speaking again. “Hey! Look at these white walls! Don’t they remind you of blank canvases?”

She giggled and looked over at the little group. “I always thought if I went somewhere special with my friends, I’d leave my name there to remember it by!”

“Are you a tagger, Anzu?” Jounouchi asked, amused.

The brunette winked, removing something from her pocket. “Hehe, I’ve got a magic marker! Put your hands out, everyone!”

This confused the boys, but they did as she said, putting out their right hands into a little circle, just as Anzu did. Using the marker, Anzu drew a circle, then a little smiley face on the inside of the circle.

“Listen up! Even after we graduate and go our separate ways, if we’re ever alone… we just have to think of this smiley face… and we’ll remember being here, and being friends! Even when I’m studying dance in New York, I’ll always remember the time spent with you guys!”

Yugi blinked, but a huge grin spread across his face. “I got it!”

Anzu nodded, smiling brightly. “The ink of the marker will wear off, but in our hearts, the ring will always be there!”

Suddenly, all the joy in the room was stopped as a dark shadow covered them, a strange sound was heard. Looking up, they saw a giant block fall and everyone got out of the way as it came slamming down onto the spot where they had just been standing!

“W-what the…!?” Jounouchi gasped.

Yugi gasped as well, oh no..! “This is the game! The game of Death T-3 has begun!” He looked up, seeing another block, telling the others to get out of the way!

Kaiba smirked, watching the teenagers try to dodge the heavy blocks. Uhg, he had gotten tired of waiting, and that friendship speech was terribly dull and predictable. Well then, let’s just see how many of them can get out of that room without being crushed to death!

Yugi winced when another block came down. “Damnit…! You can’t tell where the next cube is going to fall!”

All they could do was run around and dodging the blocks! He felt Yami shift, wanting to help, but even Yugi knew it was a fruitless effort! They didn’t know what they were really up against and he was sure that not even Yami could stop the blocks.

From his spot in the control room, Kaiba continued to watch the group run around in a frenzied panic. He was enjoying this greatly, though he still wished that little Yugi wasn’t in control, he wanted the darker counterpart to finally make his move.

Oh well, what can you do, yes? He could still enjoy this, watching Yugi and his little band of idiots try to escape with their lives, and holding onto their friendship, even though it was a liability to them.

Yugi jumped out of the way of another falling block, this was like dancing with death! He noticed something though, the blocks were bringing them higher and higher, which meant… “Everyone, keep climbing on top of the cubes! The point of the game is to get out of the room!” He pointed towards the open space in the wall that had been mentioned before.

Jounouchi nodded as he got up on a cube. “I get it! We dodge the falling blocks and climb up until they get close to the exit!”

They continued to avoid the blocks, trying to keep close to the center of the room since being close to the edges meant being boxed in, and that was a one-way ticket to death.

Another cube slammed down and Jounouchi huffed. “Shit, at this rate we’re going to be flattened! How do we get out of this?! Hey, Honda! Thrown Johji to me!” He was annoyed and surprised that the little shit could sleep through all of this chaos as the baby was given to him.

Anzu blinked, taking notice of something. “Hold on! There’s a rhythm to the timing of the falling cubes! Maybe there’s some rule to where they fall as well…”

Yugi completely forgot! Anzu is trained as a dancer, she had a talent for reading rhythms! Anzu closed her eyes, concentrating, counting, before pointing to a spot, seconds before a block landed right where she pointed!

“That’s awesome!” Jounouchi cheered. “You knew where the next cube would fall!”

The brunette nodded. “If the timing of the falling cubes is rhythm and the places where they fall are the steps of a dance, then it’s like the cubes are following a simple dance!”

“I get it!” Yugi nodded, so proud of Anzu. “The mechanism of this game is too big for the computer program! Controlling it to be too complex! They had to keep it simple, so the cubes only know easy dances!”

Honda chuckled as he got on another block. “Alright, all we have to do is stay light on our feet, like dances, and make it to the exit! The game’s easy if you know where the cubes are gonna fall!”

Anzu was able to help them as the game continued, more blocks fell, allowing them more climbing access. Soon the blocks were high enough for them to get to the window, with Jounouchi getting in first, putting Johji in there before helping Anzu.

Hmm, this is too easy of a win for them, maybe a slight change with spice things up…

Anzu’s eyes widened, she noticed that a block was coming down in the wrong area, the rhythm changed! “Honda, look out!” She shouted in warning, as the cube was right above where he was!

A narrow miss, but Honda was able to move out of the was of it, lucky break! Anzu was happy he was safe, but she warned him and Yugi, who were still in the room, that the rhythm changed and was going faster!

Honda nodded, moving to follow them, but…

Something was wrong.

“Yugi! Give me your hand!” Honda yelled, thrusting his hand out to the smaller boy.

“You go first, Honda!” Yugi frowned.

“Just give me your hand before the cubes block the exit!”

Yugi reached up and Honda snatched his hand, holding him up off of his feet towards Jounouchi. “Jounouchi, take Yugi!”

Nodding, Jounouchi helped Yugi up and into the room with him and Anzu. “Come on, Honda! What are you waiting for!?”

Honda looked at his friends, a sad smile on his face. “This is as far as I got…”

Jounouchi’s throat tightened as he looked at his oldest friend. Honda’s jacket… was caught under the block that had almost crushed him…

“Good bye, guys…” Honda smiled, giving them a thumbs up, just as a block slammed down, blocking the window.

“HONDA!” Jounouchi screamed, slamming his fists against the cube. Anzu gasped, her eyes wide and already wet with unshed tears.

Yugi…

All he felt was guilt, rage, and the need to kill Kaiba as the world turned black around the edge of his vision.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s a short chapter, cause Terror Cubed in the manga is a short chapter, like, it’s literally a chapter. But it took me seven pages of writing to rewrite it for this story.
> 
> Okay, so I made some changes with the dialogue, simply because I wanted to make Jounouchi and Honda’s talk to Yugi much more heartfelt, and to give Honda reason for the beautification club. Also, I’ll be honest, I love Jounouchi’s angst, it’s so well written, especially for a guy who comes off as a loveable dork like him.
> 
> Oh, and yes, Yugi had a mild panic attack. I felt like this kid has anxiety like there is no tomorrow, and the stress of everything finally got to him.
> 
> Next chapter: Death T-4 is ready to be played, but Yugi is suffering from a major crisis, does he give in and let the darkness and need for revenge consume him, or does he fight and hold on to himself? And what will happen when his biggest secret is finally revealed?
> 
> Thanks for reading, be sure to leave a comment and a kudos! I love hearing feedback!
> 
> (Next chapter might take a while to come out, mainly cause my school schedule is packed and I was only able to churn this out cause it’s a short chapter and I had a free Saturday)


	25. Reveal the Other You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied, I ended up writing this a few hours after I posted up chapter 24, but I waited cause I was lazy.
> 
> Chapter 25, holy crap, I didn’t think I’d get this far, I’m so close to finishing part one of this series!
> 
> This is one of my favorite sections of the manga, just… this is when Yugi admits that his other self exists, and how Jounouchi and Anzu react makes me happy.
> 
> Anyway, let’s get going!
> 
> Warning: death threats, Mokuba and Kaiba are both dicks, but Kaiba is ten times worse, especially at the end
> 
> On with the fic!

_“This is as far as I go…”_

Yugi shook, he felt like his whole body as just been submerged in the coldest ice water as his eyes stared at the blank surface of the cube. The cube that blocked them from…

“Honda is… Honda is…” Yugi wheezed out, slowly turning his eyes to Jounouchi.

The blond was upset, furious and hurt. “I won’t believe it! Honda can’t be gone! You can’t get rid of that idiot so easily…”

The darkness was seeping into his field of vision, he felt like the whole world was spinning and twisting, the shadows around him were closing in. They moved on their own, just like his own shadow, that thrashed about in anger, in heartbreak, in want of spilling blood.

‘Honda is…’ Yugi thought, staring at his hands, ‘because of me, Honda is… why… my friends… my grandfather taken from me… curse you _… curse you, Kaiba..! I’ll never forgive you…!_ ’

Anzu felt a terrible chill in her body as she looked at Yugi, noting that something was very wrong. Her friend was shaking terrible and his breathing was in hisses through clenched teeth. She tried to comfort him, placing a hand on his back. “Honda’s alright! I’m sure he’s alive…!”

“Honda!” Jounouchi announced at the blocked hole. “Listen up! We’re gonna go on ahead, but you use that hard head of yours to get outta that fix! We’ll be waiting for you, you idiot!” He ignored the tears burning his eyes, he had to stay strong. Scoffing, he stood up, turning to Anzu and Yugi. “Let’s go!”

The blue-eyed girl looked up at him, fear in her eyes. “Wait…! Yugi’s acting strange… something’s wrong!”

Jounouchi looked down at his friend, shocked to see Yugi in such a stage, he… he felt a feeling from Yugi he hadn’t felt in a while, but had three times before?

The day Yugi saved him from Ushio, and the day Yugi saved him from his old gang. And he sort of remember feeling this sort of tension in the air when they were on the roof of Domino University.

A dark, powerful feeling, that ran up his spine and alerted him in an uncomfortable way…

His attention went down to the ground, to the sight of Yugi’s shadow, morphing, changing, sporadic movements that shadows should not perform on their own when their owner is not making them.

\--

Kaiba watched the monitors, seeing how upset Yugi was. This made him very happy.

“If this is chess…” He spoke softly to himself as he glanced over at his chessboard, “Yugi is the king, Mazaki is the queen, Jounouchi the knight, and Honda must be the rook.”

He reached over and knocked over the black rook piece. “The rook has been captures. The countdown to checkmate has begun.”

“They don’t give up easy, do they, big brother?”

Kaiba frowned, glancing over his shoulder. “Mokuba?”

He saw that his little brother had entered the control room, dressed in a similar fashion as himself. Mokuba always was such a little copycat now, wasn’t he?

“They’re almost at the final stage!” Mokuba smirked, walking up to his brother. “And you know what that means! Do you remember the bet with me? The one we made before you started the ‘Death-T’ plan?”

The smirk vanished from Mokuba’s face as he glowered at his older brother. “We bet on which stage of the theme park Yugi would die in! And you bet on Death T-5! Isn’t that right, big brother?!”

Kaiba looked at him, his face a perfect poker face. “You bet on Death T-4, didn’t you..?”

“Of course I did, you jerk! Death T-4 is the stage where I fight Yugi!”

“Yes, I know, Mokuba. I bet on the final stage of the theme park, Death T-5, the finale game of Duel Monsters.”

Mokuba growled. “You know what I mean! You bet on Yugi instead of me, your own brother!”

The boy got an icy stare from the brunet, who looked as if this whole conversation was pointless to him, as annoying as a fly buzzing in his ear. “And I still feel the same. _You_ can’t beat Yugi. I opposed your participation from the beginning.”

He turned away from Mokuba, his eyes back on the screens. “Mokuba… you tried to show me up by challenging Yugi to games before, didn’t you? Do you think I don’t know the outcome of those games?”

Mokuba cringed at his brother’s tone, it was harsh, it was cold. “T-that’s not… I just… I just thought you’d like me again if I beat him…”

Kaiba turned sharply, the glare he gave hurt Mokuba. “Know this!” Kaiba shouted, angered by his little brother’s weakness. “There is no such thing a brotherly love in the gaming world! Until you figure that out, you will always be a loser, Mokuba!”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Mokuba narrowed his eyes. “I’ll show you! I’ll beat Yugi myself!”

Turning, Mokuba looked at his bodyguards. “You! Are the preparations for Death T-4 ready?!”

“Yes sir!”

“Yes, Master Mokuba!”

“Then let’s go!” Mokuba yelled as he walked away, noting that his brother wasn’t even looking at him anymore.

‘Just you watch! Today I’ll finally show my brother I am not weak!’

\--

“Yugi!” Anzu yelled, shaking Yugi’s shoulder, trying to snap him out of his strange daze.

“Are you okay, Yugi?” Jounouchi asked. “What’s going on?!”

As if someone had forcefully pulled him out of his disturbed state, Yugi gasped, breathing hard as he took in his surroundings. Where… where was he? Wait, he remembered… he’s at Kaiba Land, playing death games, and Honda… Grandpa…

Yami…

“I…” Yugi felt like his mouth was as dry as a desert and his tongue was made of Styrofoam. “I can’t hold him back… he… wants out…”

Anzu tried to smile, to assure her friend. “Yugi… you’re just tired from all the stress… it’s okay…”

Yugi shook his head. “No, I…” He sighed, feeling like there was a heavy weight on his shoulders. “There’s something I’ve kept secret from you guys…”

He looked away from their confused faces as he grabbed at his hair, feeling dizzy, and this time it wasn’t Yami’s fault. “There’s another me inside of myself that I’ve never told anyone about!”

“Another Yugi?!” Anzu and Jounouchi both exclaimed.

Carefully, Yugi touched the Millennium Puzzle, cradling it. “The day… I found the puzzle, when I was eight, I have been talking to the spirit of the puzzle. He and I don’t know who he is or why he exists, but… he’s in me, he lives in my shadow! When I solved the puzzle when I was ten, he was able to live in my body, not just my shadow, we’re connected in me. And… there are times where I black out, and he takes over… he becomes another me, another Yugi… to protect me and you guys…

“He… he’s powerful, and dangerous. He played a game against Kaiba to protect Grandpa, to get back his treasure, but Kaiba… Kaiba couldn’t accept his loss, and he set this all up to kill the Other Me. The whole reason for all of this is because he wants the Other Me dead and gone! You guys just ended up in this by accident, cause of mine and the spirit’s mistakes with Kaiba…! He wants us dead cause the spirit exists in me…”

Jounouchi’s eyes widened in realization at Yugi’s confession, at his reveal of his deepest secret

The day that Yugi stood up to Ushio for him and Honda, when the puzzle piece was removed and Yugi screamed, when the shadow when crazy, when he heard that voice.

Then with the gang, when Jounouchi had been fading in and out of consciousness, he remembered seeing Yugi. But Yugi seemed different.

And that night… at the university, with the mind controlled professor and that foreigner, Yugi was like a totally different person for a few moments.

Anzu shivered, wait… could it be… at Burger World, and with that fake psychic… that confident voice that sounded like Yugi, but at the same time it didn’t sound like him? She never saw his face, she only heard him, is it possible…

Yugi gasped, trying to hold back the sob as tears fell from his eyes once more. “I’m scared… I’ve finally become friends with you guys… I was afraid that if you knew about the other me, the one you kept calling my imaginary friend, Jounouchi…” He whimpered.

“You might leave me…!” Yugi shouted, his voice choked with a sob.

Jounouchi looked at the crying boy, seeing the shadow move again, not crazy like before, but… looking as if it was upset, that it couldn’t comfort the boy it was attached to. For a split second, he saw solid gold eyes, they looked… sad, guilty, in that split second they were there.

Reaching over, Jounouchi place a comforting hand on Yugi’s arm. “Yugi… I swear to you, even if there is another person inside of you, we’ll always be friends!”

No matter what, Yugi was Yugi, his beloved friend.

Yugi looked up at him, smiling at this. “He’s right! We’ll always be friends!” Anzu smiled, winking.

‘Jounouchi… Anzu… guys, thank you…’ Yugi thought as he rubbed his eyes, standing up.

They had two games left, and crying wouldn’t help him win.

They turned, making their way down the hall. Yugi glanced over his shoulder at the retreating window. ‘Honda… I promise to come back for you…’

As they got closer to the end of the hall, a loud sound was heard, that of cheering. It sounded like when this whole thing started, in a stadium. Did that mean that Death T-4 was in a room with a crowd?

Stepping through the open doorway, Yugi was surprised to find that, yes, there was a crowd, seated around a large arena. The floor below was set up like a board for a game, with formations on it. There were three bridged that stretched out above the board, connected to another one of those virtual boxes that Grandpa had dueled in. Above that were four televisions, and across from Yugi, on the other side of the room, stood a small boy with long, wild hair.

“Welcome to my stage, Death T-4, Yugi!” Mokuba smirked, a wild look in his eyes. He pointed at the other boy across the way. “Yugi! This a battle between you and me! Leave your friends where they are and come to the duel box alone!”

Yugi narrowed his eyes, hands clenched at his sides as he felt Yami stirring with in.

“Yugi, it’s too dangerous for you alone!” Jounouchi huffed. “I’ll go too!”

“No!” Yugi announced, putting a hand up. “Let me go alone!”

“Yugi…”

A smile crossed Yugi’s face as he looked at his friends. “It’s okay, I’m not a weakling anymore! I’m not alone! I have friends, I have you guys no matter what!”

Jounouchi smiled a little as well, nodding. “I’m glad…”

“It’s thanks to you, Jounouchi, you and Honda, and the Other Me. You taught me what real courage is!” He turned, looking over at the box in the middle of the room, determination crossing his face. “And I… I won’t be afraid of the Other Me anymore, I won’t let my fear stop him from doing what he needs to do to end this… Yami, it’s time…”

_Thank you, Yugi… I will do my best._

Yugi closed his eyes and the puzzle began to glow brightly, shifting on its own as Yugi stood up straight, his hair flying wildly. Jounouchi and Anzu felt the cold chill once more, as they had in the hallway, then a strong pulse of power and Yugi’s expression changed, a smirk on his lips as the light of the puzzle died down.

What shocked them more than the display they just witnessed was when ‘Yugi’ turned his head, staring at them with crimson eyes, a look of pride and determination on his face.

 _“Jounouchi! Anzu! I will win!”_ With that said, ‘Yugi’ turned, leaving his stunned friends behind.

That… voice, those eyes! Jounouchi remembered them from his near-death experience with the gang, from the night with that turban guy! Anzu remembered as well, only this time she really remembered that voice, the same one that said ‘let’s play a game’! They had been right!

This was the person who saved them!

This was the Other Yugi!

‘Yugi’ ignored the jeers of the audience as he walked up to the box, opening the door on his side. He looked down at Mokuba who was already seated at the table inside, looking excited to see him.

“Yugi! Congratulations on making it to Death T-4! Too bad for you it was just a warmup!” Mokuba snickered, though ‘Yugi’ looked more annoyed than nervous as he raised an eyebrow.

“Pft! You again? Haven’t you learned your lesson, brat?” Then he smirked in a teasing way. “Or did being poisoned by your own game scramble your brains last night?”

Mokuba was taken back by the comment, before putting the smirk back on his own face once more. “The ‘Other Yugi’, huh? Guess I can take this as a victory over my brother since you decided to appear for me and not him! Yugi, I’ll let you in on something! The last stage you’re trying to get to, the final area with my big brother, is on the floor above this one. See! That elevator takes you there!” He pointed towards the third bridge, the one in the middle, the path lead to an elevator.

“So I’ve got to beat you to get to it.” ‘Yugi’ huffed, seemed simple enough.

“Like you have a chance! You’re gonna die at this stage! Along with your friends!”

Eyes widening, ‘Yugi’ looked over at Jounouchi, Anzu, and Johji. Two men stood behind the teens, holding guns to their heads. “Jounouchi! Anzu! Mokuba, you little-!”

“Yugi!” Jounouchi yelled. “Don’t worry about us! Just kick his ass at his own game!”

Mokuba laughed at this. “Now, let the game begin! Death T-4! The competition this time is… Capsule Monster Chess! Virtual reality version! We will play it on this board, but the battle will be displayed by virtual reality on the giant field below us!”

‘Yugi’ glanced down, seeing that both the field mat on the table and below them were the same. This explained lot…

The younger boy picked up two capsules, a one and a five. “Let me give you a demonstration! Watch closely, Yugi!”

He held up the five piece, saying it was him, while the one piece was like Yugi.

Setting them on the board, the large one displayed the figures, though they were moving. It was exactly like before, in the duel box at the start of all of this. ‘Yugi’ watched as the level one piece was killed by the stronger one, though he wasn’t as amused by the carnage as Mokuba was. This brat didn’t learn, did he…?

“Of course,” Mokuba continued, “the loser will play a penalty game, ‘the Experience of Death’!”

‘The Experience of Death… again with this, Kaiba?’ The Other Yugi thought, a little nervous. He had seen what it had done to Grandpa, he wasn’t sure how well Yugi could take it, same with himself. He felt his other half inside, a small sense of worry, caution, but there was also the feeling of confidence.

Yes, Yugi believed in him! He believed he could win this game to help Grandpa!

That was all he needed, he knew that he could win this. Yugi had faith in him, had trust, and wasn’t afraid of what would happen as he had been feeling since last night.

Mokuba pointed at the coin machine in the box, saying that they were each to draw one at a time until they had five, each taking turns. Of course, like before, the game was rigged! It would give him the strongest monsters in the game, while Yugi would only be stuck with weaklings!

The lineup for each goes as follows:

‘Yugi’ has a level one Mogley, a level two Ninja Squid, a level two Beeton, a level one Brain Slime, and a level one Toppo.

Mokuba has a level five Megaton, a level four Nama Hargen, a level five Big Foot, a level five Zoid ‘M’, and a level five Armorsaurus.

‘The machine was rigged again!’ ‘Yugi’ thought, looking at the pieces. ‘There’s too much different in the monsters’ levels! Mokuba, you snake!”

“Place your capsules in your territory!” Mokuba ordered as he set up his own. “Hehe, see if you can think up a good formation for those monsters!”

‘Yugi’ rolled his eyes and looked at his board, studying the best situation for this with the monster he had… oh! He figured it out! He had the perfect idea set up!

Once they were all set up, the capsules came off, exposing the monsters. Mokuba noticed ‘Yugi’s’ collection of monsters, all gathered up in one area, and he began to laugh. “What’s that setup supposed to be?! All the weaklings clumped together! What a wuss! Yugi, you suck!”

Again, the Other Yugi just rolled his eyes. He had a plan in mind, but he was gonna have to be careful, he was up against strong monsters and he needed to make sure he played his monsters right. There’s no telling what could happen to his plan.

Down below them, the field was filled with holograms of the monsters, ready to fight.

“I go first!” Mokuba announced, moving his Armousaurus piece. The monster moved under them, the area around it showing which paths and directions the piece could move in. “Your move, Yugi!”

Mokuba blinked, seeing that ‘Yugi’ just sat there, his arms crossed, and his eyes closed. “I pass, I don’t have to move.”

“What?! Yugi… you’re up to something, aren’t you? See if I care!”

It was a bit surprising to Mokuba that ‘Yugi’ kept passing his turns, but then he was gleeful at the fact that he had his opponent boxed in so easily! All five of his monsters surrounded the gang of weak monsters, this was too easy!

Crimson eyes suddenly opened and ‘Yugi’ made his first move, moving his Beeton.

“You’re too late, Yugi!” The other boy laughed. “I’ll attack with Armorsaurus!”

Down on the field, the stronger beast killed Brain Slime with a fire attacked. ‘Yugi’ winced, shit, there goes one of his monsters…!

And, apparently, he was gonna lose another one since Armoursaurus has another attack!

The monster rolled into a ball and moved down a straight line, killing Toppo, then moving to kill the next monster in the wait, Mogley. However, Mokuba didn’t consider that Mogley has a special ability, it dug a hole into the board and vanished into it, allowing for it to dodge the attack, which resulted in…

Armoursaurus smashing right into Megaton, Mokuba’s own monster, killing them both.

Now the score was tied three to three remaining for each.

‘Yugi…’ Mokuba gulped, ‘This is what he was up to…!’

‘Yugi’ had a look of confidence on his face as he crossed his arms. “High level monsters have unrivaled power, but you need to learn to control it. Now you’ve lost two monsters, Mokuba!”

Jounouchi was grinning from ear to ear as he watched the action. “Alright! Yugi’s fighting back!” He had to hand it to the Other Yugi, he was a pretty good gamer! Just as good as Yugi!

“And now,” ‘Yugi’ continued, picking up his Ninja Squid piece, “I’ll move this piece to attack Zoid ‘M’. A level two monster can’t hope to match it, but… there is one way it can defeat a level five enemy…’

‘Forgive me…’ He thought he activated Ninja Squid’s self-destruct ability, taking it and Zoid ‘M’ out in one blast. But there was a reason for this… “And now a path has been cleared.”

Mokuba blinked, looking at the board, before seeing that the evolution square on his side of the board was unguarded! ‘Yugi…!!! He sacrificed those other monsters to get his weak Beeton to the evolution space!’ And Mokuba’s remaining monsters are too far away to reach him… getting to that space automatically evolves a weak monster up three levels, and that level two will become a level five!

‘Yugi’ moved his piece on the field, before finally putting Beeton down on the space. “I’ve reached the evolution space! Now evolve!”

The audience watched at the little worm began to change before their very eyes, transforming into Hyper Beetle, level five!

 _“No matter how weak a monster is, if you believe in each step it takes, it will grow strong!”_ ‘Yugi’ shouted, his eyes flashing from crimson to violet as he spoke. _“Let’s go!”_ He ordered, his new monster flew across the board and struck Mokuba’s Nama Hargen, killing it in one attack!

Now Mokuba was down to his last monster, and ‘Yugi’ had two. His eye twitched as he looked at his Big Foot, standing before Hyper Beetle. “Yugi…” He hissed, “this battle will decide the game!”

They stared at each other in silence, steel gray and crimson, before they both shouted ‘Fight!’ to get their monsters to attack.

The monsters struck one another, and once more, silence filled the air, before Hyper Beetle collapsed. It was not meant for close combat it seems…

“HAHAHA!” Mokuba grinned wildly. “Hyper Beetle is dead! Yugi, you’re done for! You have another monster hiding on the board, don’t you? Do you think I let it get away?”

That’s right, Mogley was still there! And now was the worst time for it to show itself, as Big Foot stood before it, ready to destroy it. Mokuba gave an order for Big Foot to attack and ‘Yugi’ smirked.

_“You know the saying, ‘it’s not over ‘til it’s over’?”_

Mokuba looked at him confused, before he screamed. Big Foot was falling apart, its attack on the last piece was stopped. Hyper Beetle’s attack had been a delayed critical hit!

_“Well, now it’s over! The Door of Darkness has been opened, I win, Mokuba!”_

The younger boy was shocked, unable to comprehend what just happened! He had lost, again!? But his strategy had been flawless!

“Whoo-hoo!” Jounouchi cheered.

“You did it, Yugi!” Anzu smiled brightly, her friend had done so well!

The audience was so confused but excited, Mokuba lost?! Who is that pointy haired kid!?

Jounouchi smirked. “Morons! He’s not ‘that pointy haired kid’, his name’s Yugi! He’s my bud!” His attention went to ‘Yugi’ and his expression turned serious. Okay, now all Yugi had left to do was beat Kaiba at Duel Monsters and this would all be over.

‘Yugi’ rose from his seat, glancing at Mokuba who was trying to figure out why he lost, whining like the brat that he is. “I’m going.” He said, opening the door to get out of the box, but his name being said caught his attention.

“I… I won’t believe it…!” Mokuba cried out. “There’s no wait I could lose! All of my Capsule Monsters were higher level and stronger than yours! There was no way I could lose to you!”

The other didn’t say anything, he just walked out of the box and onto the third bridge, but the televisions above the box turned on, revealing Kaiba. The brunet smirked, looking oh so pleased with the results. “Heh, I’ve been waiting for you, Yugi! Good job, I’ve gotten bored of these amusements.”

‘Yugi’ wanted to throw something at that screen, amusements his ass! These were death traps!

“Take that path to the elevator and rise to the final stage.” Kaiba continued, loving the anger he could clearly see on Yami Yugi’s face.

“I will!” The crimson eyed boy yelled. “Don’t you go anywhere! You’ll get your game alright, Kaiba!”

“S-Seto…” Mokuba weakly spoke up at the television that was inside of the box. He received that cold stare once more from his brother.

“I’ve felt your pathetic, clinging, loser’s gaze… staring at my back for years.” Kaiba scoffed. “I kept telling you over and over, Mokuba… if you play with fire, you’ll get burned…”

“B-Big brother…!”

Kaiba reached out and pressed a button, his expression as cold as his tone of voice. “You understand, don’t you? Only the winner is allowed out of the duel box! A penalty game awaits the loser, that is the law of Death-T!”

Mokuba was stunned and betrayed at the fact that his own brother would do this to him. He saw the images in the box appear, horrific images of monsters and gore in his face, screaming and jeering him.

The boy screamed.

‘Yugi’ froze and turned, horrified to find that even Mokuba was being forced to endure the death experience?! How cruel was Kaiba to do this to his own flesh and blood family?! He rushed back to the box, flinging open the door. The screams were louder, filled with so much terror, ‘Yugi’ shoved his hand into the holograms, yelling for Mokuba to take his hand.

When he felt the boy take his hand, he yanked him out. Mokuba blinked, realizing what just happened, before pulling away from the Other Yugi, seeing his eyes were orchid for a moment, before returning to red. “Wh… why?! Why did you save me…?”

The older gamer looked at him, before smiling at him, an honest smile. “Mokuba, I wouldn’t have won this game if I didn’t have friends who reached out to me.”

‘Friends?!’ Mokuba sunk to his needs, his brother’s words about brotherly love coming back to him, screaming in his head. The younger Kaiba watched as ‘Yugi’ continued his way to the elevator, before he pulled something from his pocket.

An old photo, his most prized possession…

It was a photo of him and Kaiba, years ago, when they were five and ten. In it, Kaiba was smiling gently, sweetly, as if he didn’t have any problems in the world. ‘Big Brother… has changed… it all started that day, it’s like… he’s be possessed by a demon of gaming…’

He looked up, seeing ‘Yugi’ step into the elevator before the doors closed.

‘Yugi… maybe when you face my brother…’

The crowd was excited, rushing out of the room to get to the next arena. The guard behind Jounouchi huffed, jabbing his gun against the blond. “You’re going upstairs as well.” He ordered, though he didn’t expect the smirk the boy gave him.

“You bet! Front row seats if you please! Where we can get a good view when Yugi clobbers that assbutt Kaiba!” He chuckled before holding up a phone. “Oh, one more thing, let me borrow your cell phone.”

The guard was surprised to see the phone in Jounouchi’s hand, how the hell did he get that?!

“Hey, where are you calling?” Anzu asked.

“The hospital where they took Yugi’s grandpa. No one could go with him, so I asked Hanasaki to check on him!”

He didn’t have to wait long for a reply, hearing Hanasaki answer the phone after it was given to him. The other student explained that Yugi’s grandfather is in emergency surgery right now, it had started an hour ago, and… the surgeon said there isn’t much hope.

No! Jounouchi would not stand for that! He told Hanasaki to stay there and keep watch. He hung up the phone, telling Anzu that it’s bad. He then called another number, pissed to find that Honda didn’t pick up his cell phone! “It can’t get much worse… anyway, right now… all we can do is watch over Yugi in his battle.”

In the elevator, ‘Yugi’ stood still, his mind swirling with a million and one thoughts, and he knew Yugi was having the same issue. Though, unlike his calmer half, Yami was furious.

_Kaiba… you’ve hurt our friends, Yugi’s family, and Yugi himself… I’ll never forgive you, even if you beg for mercy!_

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Once more, he found himself in another area, though this one had more of a domed platform than a duel box for the battle to take place in. Looks like Kaiba wanted to go all out for the final game.

The spirit looked up, seeing the doors across the room open, and Kaiba stepped out, just as the crowd cheered loudly in anticipation for the big duel. Kaiba had a smug look on his face as he approached the dome, taking his seat just as ‘Yugi’ made his way to it, sitting down once inside.

“Welcome to the final stage, Yugi!” Kaiba spoke in a calm, but powerful voice.

‘Yugi’ was filled with a rage he had never felt before in his life. _“Kaiba!”_ If he could, he would punish this monster for all the harm he’s done in the past few weeks, right here, right now!

But no, he would not resort to that, not yet at least. They would fight with cards, just as Grandpa had asked Yugi to do at the start of this twisted game.

Then the real shadow game would begin when Kaiba lost…

“Hehe… words mean nothing to us anymore.” Kaiba spoke as he held up his deck. “What will decide out fates… are the cards!” He slammed his deck down on the table.

“Alright!” Reaching into his pocket, ‘Yugi’ pulled out Grandpa’s cards. He would win this match, with the help of Grandpa, Yugi, and the Heart of the Cards.

‘Hehe… I congratulate you on getting this far… it’s almost a shame that this is where you’ll die…’ Kaiba smirked, shuffling the other’s cards and Yugi did the same with his own. ‘I have in my deck three of the strongest cards in the world, the unfathomably rare Blue Eyes White Dragon! No card exists that can defeat them!’

‘Yugi’ glared, putting down the shuffled deck, before taking his own, drawing his starting hand.

‘I believe in Grandpa’s deck… I _will_ win!’

The game was set with basic rules, forty cards in each deck, 2000 life points each, no time limits.

Let the battle begin!

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death-T ends next chapter! We’ll be done with this arc and then the final stories for the original story line ends!  
> After that, Duelist will happen, and I can’t wait to write that. (Actually, yes, I can, I hate writing out duels)
> 
> I changed A LOT of what was said when Yugi told the others about Yami in this, but I had to so it would fit the story better. I’m happy that I could tie in parts of the story where Jounouchi noticed that Yugi wasn’t exactly Yugi, that was fun.
> 
> Next chapter: The final stage of Death-T is set, now it’s up to the cards to decide who lives and who dies. One must always remember to believe in the Heart of the Cards, and to know that a shadow game will reveal one’s true self.
> 
> Thanks for reading, send me a lovely comment and/or kudos! I love hearing feedback!


	26. Heart of the Cards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m on a roll!
> 
> Finally, the last part of Death-T and I never have to write for it again, outside of mentions and minor flashbacks, probably.
> 
> Here we go, another freaking duel with Kaiba.
> 
> And I know it won’t be the last damn duel.
> 
> Warning: this is Kaiba at his worst in this chapter, and after this, he will be normal Kaiba that we are all use to. Also, death threats, and suicide and abuse is mentioned in a flashback.
> 
> On with the fic!

**GAME START**

Kaiba, 2000 Life Points.

Yugi, 2000 Life Points.

‘Yugi’ made the first move of the duel. “Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress! Attack mode!” He announced, placing the card on the field, watching the blue dragon come to life next to him.

Kaiba stared at him with those icy blue eyes of his, as if trying to read him, before placing his card down. “Hitotsu-Me Giant!”

It was a battle between a 1400 monster and a 1200 monster, Winged Dragon won the first battle with ease, destroying the cyclops with a fire ball attack. Kaiba smirked, brushing away the smoke from his destroyed monster from his face, never breaking eye contact, his life points dropping down to 1800. “Heh… that’s didn’t hurt a bit.”

Kaiba had let Yami Yugi win the first fight, simply to tease him, to entertain the crowd. His deck held the remaining three Blue Eyes White Dragons in the world, the strongest normal monsters in the game. This duel was already his to claim.

‘Yugi’ frowned, he knew that Kaiba made such an amateur mistake on purpose, just to put him into a false sense of security. Kaiba was a duelist who would toy with his opponent in any possible way, but ‘Yugi’ would not be intimidated. He knew there was a slight disadvantage between him and Kaiba’s deck, however, he believed in Grandpa’s cards, he knew it could help him win!

Well, he’d just have to come up with a plan as he drew the cards, seeing as he had no idea what was in this deck outside of the cards he had seen Grandpa used during his duel with Kaiba.

“I end my turn.” ‘Yugi’ spoke, having only used his second turn to fight.

The brunet smirked, drawing a card. He looked at it before looking at ‘Yugi’ once more. “Yugi… I can feel your puny heart pounding every time I draw a card. That’s because you know the moment I draw the Blue Eyes, you will die…”

‘Yugi’ swallowed, trying to hide his nerves. He hadn’t drawn the dragon… had he?

“The card I drew is… the Wicked Worm Beast!” Kaiba set his new monster down. The grotesque image appeared, of a disgusting, mutated monster with 1400 attack. “It equals the Winged Dragon in both level and attack! Worm Beast, kill him!”

Sometimes you had to kill your own monster to attack your opponent.

“I’ll take you on!” ‘Yugi’ announced.

Wicked Worm Beast spat out an acid attack at the dragon, but it was able to avoid the attack thanks to its ability to fly. Kaiba clucked his tongue, annoyed that his move failed.

“And now,” ‘Yugi’ spoke up, “counter attack! Fire Ball!”

Winged Dragon spat fire at the mutated monster, destroying it easily.

Kaiba huffed, not impressed, but not angered either. His expression was hard to read. “Hmph, since their attack points were the same, my life points aren’t affected… big deal, new round.”

He looked at his hand, eyes then back on the spirit. “My turn is over, but I don’t have any monsters on the field… according to the first edition rules, this means I can put out a free monster in defense mode using one of the cards in my hand. Now… which one should I use…”

He picked a card, setting it down in face up defense. “I’ll make it my barrier monster.” With that, Kaiba’s turn was over.

“My turn! I draw a card from my deck!” ‘Yugi’ spoke, reaching for his deck and drawing a card. He frowned, looking at Kaiba’s side of the field. ‘I’m not familiar with the card Kaiba just played…’

The monster was curled up, and… looked like a jester or something, it was hard to tell, the monster was small on the field, rather than large like his dragon. ‘If I attack him and his defense is higher than my attack points, I would be the one damaged…’

Best to play it safe. “I’ll play a card in defense mode as well.” He placed a monster face down, ending his turn.

The CEO smirked, it was his turn now. “I get it… you plan to build up a strong defense before I draw a Blue Eyes White Dragon… but that won’t work!”

His eyes narrowed, his expression was hard and serious, but there was manic joy in his expression as well. It was unsettling for the Other Yugi, Kaiba was very unstable… did the penalty game work in reverse?

“I was a champion _before_ I owned a Blue Eyes, and even without one, I _can_ defeat you! I’ll prove that right!” Kaiba moved his card into a different position, allowing for the monster to grow and show its face. “I change my barrier monster from defense to attack mode! Saggi the Dark Clown!” It was a clown monster with 1500 defense, but 600 attack.

Before ‘Yugi’ could ask why he played it in attack mode with such a weak power, Kaiba answered his question. “Saggi could never defeat the Winged Dragon at his current attack power. That’s why I use the spell card ‘Dark Energy’, to triple his attack power!”

Kaiba placed a spell card down on the field, Dark Energy, a card that allows for fiend monsters to triple their original attack points. And since Saggi is a fiend, his attack goes from 600 to 1800, making it much more powerful than the Winged Dragon.

“Now attack and kill the dragon!” Kaiba ordered, his clown laughing as it used its Dark Glide attack, destroying Winged Dragon easily. This attack brought ‘Yugi’s’ life points down from 2000 to 1600, leaving Kaiba at a slight advantage instead.

The brunet smirked, enjoying this more than he should. “What do you think? Just your basic combo… the power of Saggi the Dark Clown enhanced by a spell card.”

‘Yugi’ glowered at him, deciding to not humor him with an answer. ‘Strong cards alone aren’t enough to win in this game! Using monsters together with spells is the key to victory! Kaiba knows this game inside and out, he is a champion for a reason… but Yugi’s grandfather built this deck! He’s a game master!’ The spirit knew how excellent of a game master Grandpa was, though he knew next to nothing of what was beyond the golden box his puzzle had been stuck in for eons, he knew that games were the key to achieving the golden prize.

And only Grandpa had been able to win.

And ‘Yugi’ had faith in the deck, he knew that Grandpa had more than just Blue Eyes to help him win, there was a second trump card in this deck!

It was his turn now, and the spirt drew. He frowned, looking at the card, Right Leg of the Forbidden One, with only 200 attack and 300 defense. It was useless against Saggi, he was just going to have to set a different card down in defense mode. With that, he ended his turn.

Kaiba looked so gleefully excited as he announced his next attack, destroying one of ‘Yugi’s’ monsters with his overpowered monster.

This is how it went for a few turns of the duel, no matter what monsters he drew, the Other Yugi struggled to find a good way to fight Saggi. In his few attempts at offense, he ended up losing 200 life points, now bringing him down to 1400.

He was worried, panicking, he had no idea was this deck held. ‘Yugi’ was so unfamiliar with it, and he knew that Yugi was as well. Both knew that Grandpa had a special deck, one he only used for important duels, he often just dueled Yugi with simple decks to challenge the boy against different themes.

But Yugi had never faced this new deck from Kaiba, and neither had ‘Yugi’.

They were at a great disadvantage in terms of knowing their own and their opponent’s deck…

Jounouchi and Anzu watched from the sidelines, still being held at gun point by Kaiba’s goons. They watched as their friend’s other half struggled in the duel box. Though they knew it was difficult at this point for the Other Yugi to pull through before a Blue Eyes was summoned, or before Saggi left him with a deck out… they still had faith in him.

They were behind Yugi and the spirit of the puzzle all the way, they knew that he’d find some way to turn this around. He had to! He had to win for Grandpa and Honda!

‘Yugi’ winced, another monster was taken out with ease, damnit!

Kaiba scoffed, looking amused, but a little peeved. “Yugi, you disappoint me! What happened to the boy who took out my best gamers with ease! Hmph, at this point I won’t even have to use a Blue Eyes for this duel!”

He laughed, so proud of himself. “But what do you expect with the deck that failure of an old man left behind! I can hear the gasps of his last breaths echoing from those shitty cards”

He watched a crimson eyes burned with hatred, then turned to orchid, showing him the same hatred, the same desire to take him down!

Heh, at least these pathetic duelists will die with some dignity, Kaiba well give them that much.

 _Grandpa trusted me with his deck,_ ‘Yugi’ thought, though he suspected that this was more Yugi than himself, _I’ve got to have faith in him! I can hear it, Grandpa! I heard your heart beating in this deck!_

‘Yugi’ looked at the deck before his attention went to Kaiba. “Kaiba… do your cards have the power of your trust?”

The amount of confidence in that question caught Kaiba by surprise. “What do you mean?”

 _“I believe in these cards!”_ ‘Yugi’ drew his next card, looking quite pleased this time. “Gaia! The Fierce Knight!” On the field stood a proud knight on its mighty steed, a 2300 attack monster.

Kaiba was completely caught off guard by this summons! Gaia the Fierce Knight is not only a very rare card, but is also the most power normal card in the warrior class! How did that old man get such a strong card?!

“Go, dark knight!” ‘Yugi’ ordered, his knight rushing towards Saggi, cutting up the clown easily with its Spiral Saber attack.

With Saggi’s destruction, Kaiba’s life points went down from 1800 to 1300, leaving ‘Yugi’ with just 100 more than him.

Jounouchi grinned, proud of his friend. ‘Alright, Yugi! You know your grandpa wouldn’t give you sucky cards!’

Kaiba looked at his rival, rather pleased than disappointed with the loss of his monster. “Well, well… I suppose the deck of a game store owner would have to have a decent card or two…”

“You can’t predict this duel, not until the very end…” ‘Yugi’ replied, he had won this round, but this duel was far from over.

“Hehehe… don’t get arrogant. I know how this will end. It’s my turn.” Kaiba silent drew his card and ‘Yugi’ felt like he just saw a demon as he looked at the terrifying grin on Kaiba’s face.

“I’ve drawn the Blue Eyes White Dragon!” Kaiba yelled, slapping the card down on the table.

A loud roar echoed through the area as the graceful, white dragon shown herself onto the field. Her pristine, white body was perfect, and her blue eyes stared directly into ‘Yugi’s’ soul.

No, no…!

This time the dragon would not let ‘Yugi’ win like before, this wasn’t the dragon that held Grandpa’s soul, this one would not ally herself with him to defeat Kaiba!

A flash, in his mind’s eye, of such a beautiful beast, above ruined structures. A man stood close, his eyes just as cold and as blue as the eyes that stared at him now, from beneath chestnut hair.

They were just as manic and wild as Kaiba’s own.

‘Yugi’ gasped, coming back to reality, what… what was that?!

His mind was racing as he tried to figure out what he just saw, he almost missed Kaiba’s commentary about how he was going to enjoy destroying ‘Yugi’s’ trump card so soon after it had been summoned.

“Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack!” Kaiba shouted with glee. “Burst Stream of Destruction! Die, Gaia, and prepare a place in hell for your masters!”

‘Yugi’ shut his eyes against the bright blast of white light that came from Blue Eyes, his life points dropping down to 700, he was on his last leg.

In one of the few times he had played a game since waking up, he felt fear, and he knew that… that… he had nothing in his hand, and possibly in the deck, that could stand up to a 3000 attack monster…

_Grandpa… what should I do!_

Kaiba chuckled, petting the hologram that stood behind him, touching her face with pride. “Now Yugi… draw! No matter what monster you bring out, the Blue Eyes will blow it away!”

Swallowing the lump in his throat, ‘Yugi’ drew a monster, but all he could do was place it into defense mode. But it was destroyed just seconds later by the white dragon.

“It’s painful to watch!” Kaiba mocked. “As long as you play your monsters in defense mode, your life points don’t change… no matter how many monsters I slaughter! But! You’re only drawing out your inevitable demise!”

‘Kaiba’s right..!’ The spirit thought, hating that this was true. ‘But if I played a monster in attack mode, I’d lose!’

“Now play your next monster! Eventually you’ll run out of cards, then you lose!”

‘Yugi’ glowered, looking down at his cards, once again, he was stuck on the defense…

“Attack…!” Kaiba started, but then smirked. “Is that what you expect me to do? I won’t… not this time. Rather than put your Beaver Warrior you just played out of its misery, I’ll draw another card. I’ll increase the size of my army!”

The Other Yugi’s eyes widened. He knew this was coming!

A monster can only really defense against one attack monster, and if Kaiba brings out more monsters, he won’t have enough defenders to stop them!

‘I’ll lose in the next turn!’

Kaiba drew his card, glancing at it, that wild look was back. “It looks like the Goddess of Victory is on my side… my next card is…!”

Another beautiful and deadly white dragon appeared, just like her counterpart already on the field. Just like in the duel with those witches, Kaiba had a strong offense on his side now, and ‘Yugi’ was at the point of considering his odds of winning to be absolute zero!

“Hehe… on my next turn,” Kaiba spoke up, “these two will attack at the same time! Your life is over, Yugi!”

‘Yugi’ shuddered violently, feeling so distraught. ‘I could play another monster this turn, but next turn I’d be defenseless! His dragons can kill two of my monsters each turn, but I can only draw one new card… I lost…’

He felt the shadows around his feet, they sensed his doubt, the feeling of defeat in his heart. They wanted him just as they wanted all the people he ever challenged to shadow games, including Kaiba.

He let out a shuddering breath, closing his eyes…

An image!

In his mind!

Of Grandpa, struggling under an oxygen mask, in surgery!

His eyes opened, orchid to crimson in a flash.

_‘I… I won’t give up! I’m not fighting this duel alone!’_

“Everything rides on this card!” ‘Yugi’ drew the card, shocked to see that it was his lucky break! “I’ve drawn the spell card, Swords of Revealing Light!”

Kaiba’s eyes widened, no! That card would prevent him from attacking for three of his turns! He gasped, seeing beautiful, glowing beams of light in the shape of swords rain down from above, blocking his dragons. They were trapped, unable to do anything except stand there.

‘Yugi’ was safe, but for only three of Kaiba’s turns…

The brunet glared deeply, that was too lucky of a draw… “You still haven’t given up? You’re beginning to annoy me… I am happy that you haven’t just surrendered to accept your death already, but you shouldn’t put off the inevitable like this…”

“I don’t plan to die today, Kaiba.”

Anzu blinked, wow, that spell card was such a lucky card for him to play! “The duel isn’t over yet!” She smiled at Jounouchi, both had been so worried just moments before, thinking that the worst was about to happen.

Jounouchi grinned back at her before turning to look at the spiky haired boy in the duel box. “Way to go, Yugi!”

Kaiba glanced at Yugi’s friends, scoffing, before looking at ‘Yugi’. “Your friends seem rather pleased by the minor turn of events. However, you’ve used up the last of your luck, anyway… you can only bind the dragons for three turns! What can you do in that short time?”

‘Yugi’ knew, once again, that he made a good point. He had only extended his life by three turns, but once those were up…

Kaiba reached out, drawing a card. He set a monster down in defense mode, wanting the dragons to have the honor of finishing ‘Yugi’ in this duel. That’s how he envisioned his end from the start of the duel. “Now, let’s being the countdown to your death. Draw your card, you have three turns!”

The white dragons roared loudly, making ‘Yugi’ twitch. He looked down at his hand, only seeing four cards there. ‘Only one is a monster I can use in battle… the other three, these limbs, are useless. I don’t even know what they mean! These are junk cards… there’s no way to defeat Kaiba… the spell card I managed to draw is only a plot for time…’

_I really lose…_

Yugi frowned, feeling so worried and distraught as he felt the strong emotions of guilt and defeat radiating off of Yami. All he could do was stand here, in the dark, while his other half was suffering…

But something caught his attention.

Blinking, Yugi looked over his shoulder, shocked to see… “Grandpa!” What was he doing here?

Grandpa looked at Yugi curiously. “Ho ho… you look down, Yugi…” Yugi’s silence made him step closer, seeing just how upset the boy was. “Yugi, have you given up? That’s not like you…”

“The… The Other Me is suffering, this duel hasn’t been in our favor for most of it… what can we do, Grandpa?” Yugi asked, wondering if Yami knew this conversation was happen, he hoped so, Grandpa seemed like he had advice to give.

“Yugi…” Grandpa spoke gently. “Not too long ago, you were suffering. Remember how you got over _that_ in time?”

Yugi blinked again, confused. Then it clicked in his head. “The puzzle… it took me over two years, but it felt like eight or something...”

Grandpa chuckled softly. “Mmhm! You put each piece of that puzzle in its place… you didn’t give up, you believed in yourself and completed the puzzle! Yugi, there is nothing meaningless in this world, like pieces of a puzzle! The cards as well…” He turned and began to fade into the darkness, despite Yugi’s protests.

He stared into the darkness, before touching the Millennium Puzzle, feeling it under his fingers.

_The Millennium Puzzle… and the cards…?_

‘Yugi’s’ eyes widened in realization. ‘Yugi! If you can hear me, listen! I heard you and Grandpa through the puzzle! In his deck… is the legendary Exodia! Grandpa told you about those cards!’

He felt shock from within his heart, Yugi remembered Grandpa telling him about the cards a while ago, saying no one had ever assembled all five cards together in a duel. But if someone was able to, they would release the god, Exodia the Forbidden One, the strongest monster in the whole game, even stronger than Blue Eyes White Dragon.

The two boys were shocked to know that Grandpa had the cards in his special deck, but…

Another flash, in ‘Yugi’s’ mind’s eye! An image of a shadowed man, small, but someone who gave off a familiar feeling of warmth and trust, but with a power deep inside of him that he had to bury to keep contained…

Kaiba’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “That’s enough, Yugi! You’re just stalling to extend your miserable existence! Draw your card!”

Crimson eyes narrowed. “Yes! I’ll draw now!” He pulled the card, happy to see that he got the fourth piece, the right arm! All that was left was the fifth and final piece, and he would be able to summon the sleeping god!

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, his rival’s expression and demeanor seemed to change with that draw. Heh, but even still, there was no card better than the Blue Eyes… Yugi’s hope is like the last flickering candle before it’s blown out. It was now Kaiba’s turn and he drew Judgeman, a 2200 attack monster.

“It’s dull just sitting here so… I’ll use the Judgeman to destroy your defensive monster, the stress will do you good.”

The burly monster struck down the Beaver Warrior, destroying it with ease.

Two turns left…

‘Yugi’ drew a card, looking at it. Hm, Black Magician? He was a 2500 attack monster, and was strong enough to take down Judgeman… “I play the Black Magician in attack mode! Attack Judgeman!”

A man in purple robes appeared on the field and ‘Yugi’ felt another strange feeling, another hazy image. The strongest magician stood nearby, in the same ruined building he had seen the Blue Eyes and the blue-eyed man in, but the magician looked… different, though his face was shadowed, impossible to see.

Though he couldn’t see his face in the mental haze, he knew that the Black Magician there was just as loyal and trustworthy as the one he just played on the field.

“Black Magic!” He yelled, striking the monster down with a powerful magic blast. Kaiba’s life points were now 1000.

‘Yugi’ glared, the image was gone, a fading memory. “Kaiba! I won’t give up on this duel until the end! I’ll take every chance I get to chip away at your life points!”

Kaiba didn’t seem impressed by those words, but he smiled anyway, a cold smile, like the dead. “It’s the last turn… you have no chance left.” He pulled a card, looking so pleased. “And the last card I draw is… the third Blue Eyes White Dragon!”

As the third dragon was not held back by the holy swords, she openly attacked Black Magician, killing him instantly. ‘Yugi’ honestly felt a deep, horribly ache of sadness in his heart at the loss, but he couldn’t understand it.

Kaiba laughed manically as ‘Yugi’s’ life points dropped down to 200, this was the end…

“Now! Draw your last card, Yugi! No matter what card you draw, you will die!”

The Swords of Revealing Life left the field and the dragons were free, Kaiba had the upper hand! And with their combined attack, Yami Yugi would lose all of his life points and 8800 more!

His mouth felt dry as he looked at his deck, then at the cards in his hand. ‘In my hand, I have four pieces of the forbidden one… both legs and arms… if these are the cards Grandpa was talking about, if I can get all five, I’ll be able to summon him! All I need to do is draw the last card…

‘But… it’s impossible! In a forty card deck, the odds of getting all five cards in my hand are an impossible dream! There’s… no way… what are the chances the next draw will be the one I need?!’

Crimson to orchid eyes looked up at the three dragons.

_‘Am I… are we going to lose…?’_

“Yugi!” Jounouchi shouted, knowing it was useless, the other was so lost in his thoughts. ‘Hand in there, man! Don’t give up until the end!!’

‘Yugi…’ Anzu closed her eyes. ‘Please, please don’t give up faith, you can do this… both of you…’

“Do it now, Yugi!” Kaiba laughed. “Pick your card!”

He watched as ‘Yugi’s’ hand shook, reaching out for the deck. ‘That’s it… draw the card and you can rest… in peace! Rest for eternity in the blackness of death!’

The spirit of the puzzle stared hard at the deck, his hand shook violently as he tried to take a card, shocked to find that he couldn’t reach the cards! They seem so far all of a sudden…!

Wait, no!

‘No, it’s not the cards! It’s me! I’m trying to escape… to get out of drawing it…! My dear is making the distance wider…’

The shadows crawled up his legs, they felt like ice, piercing into his skin, ready to take him with them once more.

To return him to the darkness that he had been forced to wander for countless years…

‘I’m afraid… afraid to draw the last card…’

The darkness surrounded his vision, all he could see was the cards. This was… this was it, wasn’t it…?

But… no! There was something else!

A light!

Above the cards, three hands, then… Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu!

_“If we’re ever alone, we just have to think of this smiley face…”_

‘Yugi’ felt joy and trust, confidence and determination, blossom inside of his chest. First from Yugi, then himself. He smiled as he looked at his friends, hearing them in his head, telling him to keep going, they’re here with him, ready to help him win.

He placed his hand in the circle, feeling a ghostly feel of someone else’s over his own hand.

Yugi was here as well, he would held his other self draw the last card for Exodia…

‘Thank you everyone, Grandpa, Yugi… I won’t be afraid anymore.’ He smiled, putting his hand down on the deck.

Kaiba looked bothered, having seen fear on the other’s face just moments ago, but now he was smiling? “Why are you smiling?” He asked, sounding crossed. “Have you gone past fear? Have you accepted death?!”

‘Yugi’ looked at him, still smiling. “No, Kaiba. It’s hope you’re seeing.”

He held up his card, seeing what it was.

_“The Door of Darkness has been opened.”_

The shadows pulled away from him sharply, moving to surround Kaiba, waiting for their master to give the order to strike. The brunet shuddered violently as he felt the bitter cold of his dreams around him.

“My next card is… EXODIA! THE FORBIDDEN ONE!”

Kaiba was paralyzed with fear as he looked at the five cards ‘Yugi’ set on the field. His eyes drifted up, seeing the hologram of the cards above ‘Yugi’. No… those weren’t a hologram, those were real! The cards… they were real, this is… a shadow game!

A pentagram formed, connecting the five parts.

‘It can’t be… he used Exodia… but the chances are… the chances are…!’

Hands shot out of the pentagram, before the monstrous head of an Egyptian king appeared. Hot breath came out of his tightly closed mouth as he glared down at Kaiba, who felt the hot air, it was real… this is what happened in their first game…

No… not again…

He let out a silent scream as Exodia attacked, destroying the Blue Eyes White Dragons with an infinite power blast.

They were real, they were real dragons that were around him! Pain, pain, he felt their pain and felt the heat of the hell flames of Exodia burn them! Kaiba heard their screams as they died quickly, but so painfully.

Kaiba, life points 0.

Yugi, life points 200.

“Your Blue Eyes White Dragons were powerful…” Yugi spoke softly, “but ever weak cards can join together sometimes, and together they can create an infinite power which ant defeat any enemy! It’s over, Kaiba! I win!”

Kaiba wheezed, his body so rigid. “You… you summoned the forbidden god… no… no! That would take a miracle…!”

“Miracles happen! You just witnessed one right before your eyes. You can make them happen as well, as long as you believe in the heart of the cards!”

The golden eye formed on his forehead, glowing brightly as he stood up from his seat.

 _“And for the loser, a penalty game! It’s time for you to pay for your crimes!”_ The Other Yugi shouted, not even giving Kaiba a chance to speak as he pointed at him. _“Penalty game! MIND CRUSH!”_

Kaiba’s screams echoed loudly in the silent arena, ‘Yugi’ heard a loud shattering sound mentally, knowing his magic did its job.

 _“I’ve destroyed the part of your heart that was full of evil and darkness! Goodbye,_ Kaiba _!”_

The brunet slumped back, his blue-eyes blank as he stared agape at nothing.

The stadium was silent, until a loud cheer came from Jounouchi and Anzu.

“Alright! Yugi! You did it, you won!” The blond cheered loudly, happily as he jumped in place.

Anzu smiled happily, a tear in her eye. ‘Yugi… or is it the Other Yugi? You’re not the scared, little boy you once were!’

The audience was confused, they couldn’t believe that Kaiba lost the duel. But… at the same time… that was amazing! Someone actually beat the best duelist in the world! A loud roar of excitement came from the stands.

‘Yugi’ ignored them as he picked up the deck, looking at it fondly. ‘We did it, Grandpa. I beat Kaiba with your deck. Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu… thanks for being there, when I needed you most…’ With that, he pocketed the deck, turning to leave.

Johji yawned, annoyed at the loud cries from the children in the room, annoyed by all the noise. However, he was shocked to see a gun being pointed by his head and he decided that it might be best to just pretend he was still napping.

The guard behind Jounouchi was a bit startled that his boss had lost, but Jounouchi noticed that the gun was still pointed at him. Hmm… what to do about this goon… but if he still had that gun on him, he couldn’t fight, something could happen to Anzu and Johji… plus there were two of them both armed…

THWACK!

Okay, one was armed, the bald guard behind Anzu just dropped to the ground. Jounouchi blinked, but a huge grin came to him as he saw who it was that just hit the guard. “Honda!”

Yes, Honda was there, minus his jacket, and looking happy to see them, and ready to fight.

The second guard turned, ready to take on Honda, but Jounouchi happily kicked him in the back. “Honda! You jerk! You survived after all!”

“Damn right!” Honda grinned, punching the guard in the face. “I wasn’t gonna let a bunch of blocks flatten me!”

Anzu and Johji cheered them on, both excited and relived to find Honda alive and well!

“There’s too many guys askin’ for a beating to leave this world yet!” Honda stated, as he and Jounouchi both punched the jerk at the same time.

The bald one got up, grabbing Jounouchi quickly, putting the gun to his cheek. “You little shit! I’ll kill you for this!”

“That’s enough!”

The new voice got all of their attention and all of them were surprised that it came from Mokuba. “I said that’s enough! The game is over.” The boy ordered and the guard backed off.

“Is that Kaiba’s…?” Honda started to ask.

“Yeah, that’s his little brother.” Jounouchi replied. “He’s just as big a creep as the other one!”

“This creep saved my life.” The brunet stated. “I was locked in that room for a while, with the blocks dropping, until this kid turned ‘em off and got me out!”

Mokuba huffed, looking embarrassed and trying to stay angry. “Don’t take is personally! I owned Yugi a favor…” Speaking of Yugi…

The small teen approached them, smiling, though his eyes were still crimson and his hair still wild. “Yugi!” Jounouchi smiled and put a hand on his back, patting it. “You did it! You won!”

Honda winked, giving him a thumbs up. “Good job! Wish I could have been there!”

‘Yugi’s’ eyes widened and he looked so happy. “Honda! You’re alive!” He felt a burst of joy and relief in his chest, Yugi was still listening in, and he no longer felt guilty about Honda like he did earlier. Though both of them missed the quite comment of confusion from Honda about how Yugi looked different.

The spirit looked at the three, smiling gently. “Guys, you were there for me…” He put a hand on his chest, “for Yugi, for us… thank you.”

Mokuba watched them before frowning, turning away, but Anzu stopped him. “Can you tell me something?” She asked. “Why did Kaiba do all of this? Why did he plan this revenge?”

The young Kaiba looked uncomfortable, but… he knew this needed to be said, and it was best that he said it to them.

“It all started with that chess game…”

\--

When big brother was ten and I was five… we had lost our parents. Mom died soon after I was born and Dad died in an accident when I was three…

Our relatives used up our inheritance, then left us in an orphanage!

 _“Mokuba… don’t cry! I’ll make a good life for us someday! Listen to me! If you show weakness it’s over! Don’t trust anyone!”_ Seto was always saying that.

Life at the orphanage wasn’t all bad, Seto taught me chess! We lived to play each day! But that time… when this picture was taken… this one I always carry… it was the last time I saw my brother truly smile…

Not long after that, **he** came to the orphanage… to adopt an heir…

Kaiba Gozaburo… Seto knew he was the president of Kaiba Corporation and a world grandmaster of chess! My brother challenged him…

The deal was that if Seto beat him in a game of chess, Gozoburo would have to adopt him and me. That bastard thought that he would win easily, but Seto won… by cheating.

He knew Gozoburo would be arriving and had trained himself to know all of the old man’s chess moves, he knew how to take down those moves with ease…

And so, our last name changed to Kaiba with that game, but the life we began that day was the opposite of what we had hoped for!

That man… was a monster!

He put my brother into a special accelerated school program! Day in, day out, he forced him to study everything! It was an endless torture!

But what he didn’t realize was that he wasn’t creating his heir, he was creating a powerful enemy…

…

_Six years later, at Kaiba Corp._

_Gozoburo sat in his main chair in his boardroom, not liking that Seto was right across from him, looking too pleased with himself. What was that little brat up to? Why were all his top men on his step son’s side of the room?_

_Was this… no, it couldn’t be…_

_“The board has spoken!” Seto said, his voice laced with smugness. “Starting today, Kaiba Corporation belongs to me! Have I learned what you wanted…_ Father _?”_

_Gozoburo’s eye twitched, well… looks like he could give that little brat one last lesson, one that he knew would never be forgotten._

_“Seto! I lost my game with you!” He screamed. “Burn this into your brain! This is what a loser deserves!” He laughed loudly as he ran, turning to the window, before thrusting himself at the glass. It shattered with the force and Gozoburo fell out, laughing all the way down to his sickly death on the sidewalk below._

_In the room, Seto sat there, seeming to be completely unfazed by what he had just witnessed. But his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white and his nails broke the skin of his palms. His lips twitched into a smirk._

_To lose means to die, thank you… for teaching me…_

\--

Mokuba sniffed, his eyes wet, if his brother hadn’t cheated at that game… maybe he would still be… still be the same brother who smiled in that picture, the brother that hadn’t forgotten to smile…

“Mokuba…”

He blinked, looking over at the Other Yugi.

“The fourth Game Master had asked me to make Kaiba smile like he used to.” Mokuba blinked, how did ‘Yugi’ know what he was thinking? “Right now, Kaiba is picking up the pieces of his heart in the darkness.”

“Huh?” Mokuba turned to see where ‘Yugi’ was looking, finding that the other was staring as his comatose brother.

“He’s reassembling the shattered puzzle of his heart.” The spirit continued, his voice calm, but it confirmed the truth of his words. “One piece at a time, with his own strength… so that this time he won’t make any mistakes…”

Mokuba stared at his brother, before feeling a hand on his back. He looked to see the eye faintly glowing on ‘Yugi’s’ forehead, but he knew there was no threat. He turned to look at Kaiba once more, surprised to see something… as if it was in his mind…

A younger Seto, surrounded by 3-D puzzle pieces. He held two pieces in his hands, carefully putting them together, and…

He smiled when they fit.

The grey-eyed boy felt his heart skip a beat, there it was… the smile he hadn’t seen in six years…

“Your brother is already off to a great start. I can see it, and I am allowing you to see it as well.”

“Yugi…” Mokuba mumbled. “My brother will come back, won’t me..?”

He got a nod from the older boy. “Yes, someday… when he completes the puzzle… he will return.”

“I’ll wait for you forever, I promise big brother…”

\--

“Hey Yugi!” Jounouchi happily announced as they stepped out of Kaiba Land. “I just got a call from Hanasaki at the hospital! Your grandpa’s surgery went great! They say he’s the healthiest collectable card game player they’ve ever seen!”

The smile on Yugi’s face could light up the darkest of rooms right now. “Grandpa’s okay!” He felt so happy about this! He even saw his shadow smile openly at the news, actually smiling! Wow! And right in front of his friends too!

“Isn’t that great, Yugi!?” Jounouchi laughed, grabbing his friend’s hand and spinning him around.

“Yup! I want to go see him right away!”

“Let’s all go to the hospital together!” Anzu smiled, nodding.

Johji smirked, saying he was going to, the hospital had hot nurses! Honda promptly told him to shut up and go back to sleep!

Jounouchi laughed and stretched as they walked, boy, today has been a long, crazy day! He blinked, glancing over at Yugi, noticing that this was Yugi with them, and not the other Yugi. When did he change back?

“Hey, Yugi… are you…?”

“Hm?” Yugi blinked, looking up at his friend. “What’s up, Jounouchi?”

The blond looked down at him before grinning, putting him in a head lock and holding him close. “Aww! It’s nothing! Come on, let’s go see Grandpa!”

\--

“Uhh... hey, Yugi...” Jounouchi spoke up as he walked Yugi back to the game shop, having just left the hospital after visiting Grandpa. Anzu went with Honda and Johji to drop the baby off with Honda’s sister, so they had already left before Yugi and Jounouchi did, leaving the two alone.

Yugi blinked, looking over at him. “Yes? What is it, Jounouchi?”

“... Can I talk to your, uh... your spirit friend?”

“Oh! I suppose, let me see if I can... oh, he's right next to me.” Yugi commented, looking at the ground under a streetlight, seeing his shadow. Jounouchi cringed, watching it move about on its own, that’s something he’ll need to get use to...

There was a bright flash of light, making the blond blink a few times, before he looked at his friend, only to see that he was looking at the Other Yugi instead.

This will seriously take some getting used to...

“I heard your question,” He said, looking curiously at Jounouchi, “what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Right, well, let's talk while we head to Yugi's place.” He got a nod and the two walked quietly. “Okay, so... you're Yugi's friend that he always whispers to?”

“That is correct.”

“And you're from the puzzle?”

“Also correct.”

Jounouchi scratched his head. “Look man, what's your game? Why do you possess my best bud?”

The Other Yugi frowned, looking at his shoes. “Well, I 'possess' him because I need to protect him. Since Yugi solved the Millennium Puzzle and awoken the shadow magic inside of it, strange things have happened. He attracts some trouble to him, for odd reasons, and I step in to protect him.”

Crimson eyes looked up at Jounouchi. “I've even protected you a few times.”

“... You helped me at the warehouse.”

He nodded. “Yes, that was... I'm sorry, I wish I had gotten there sooner, you did not deserve that punishment.”

“I've had worse.”

“You were electrocuted!” The smaller boy shouted, looking so guilty. “Yugi was so upset, I felt like I failed him and you, when I had seen how hurt you were, I... I thought for a moment you had died...”

Jounouchi blinked, this stranger... had worried about him?

He protected him, fought in his name and honor against Jounouchi's old gang, people known for going beyond the limits of violent fighting.

He smiled, reaching out to ruffle up this kid's hair, catching him off guard by the affectionate action. “Listen man, you still helped me, you protected me, they were gonna go in for the kill, literally, but you saved me before they got the chance.”

He stood in front of him, getting down on one knee, a sucker for theatrics. He took the boy's hand, putting his forehead against the back of it. “Spirit friend of Yugi, I am forever in your debt. I am your knight, and I will keep you safe in return for you keeping all of us safe, especially Yugi.”

He glanced up, grinning, seeing that the spirit was flushed in the face. “I-I... thank you, Jounouchi, I am honored.” He bowed, smiling a little. This strange guy looked rather like Yugi when he had an honest smile on his face. “Do I need to knight you for this to be official or something?” He joked and Jounouchi laughed happily, patting him on the back as they started to walk once more.

“You're a cool guy, what's your name?”

“I have no name, Yugi calls me 'Other Me', but sometimes he calls me 'Yami', as I live in his shadow, literally.”

“Ooh. Hey, uh, that day Ushio beat us up pretty badly, and... well... broke a piece of the puzzle off, I thought I saw our shadows going nuts. And I heard a voice, I don't think Honda noticed, but I did. Was that you?”

He nodded, sighing. “Yes. My magic was... unpredictable then, and I suppose my emotions over the puzzle being damaged, and Yugi's pain... just... I unconsciously made myself known to you for a moment. The shadows can be strange with me sometimes.”

“I guess.” Jounouchi shrugged. “Well, at least I know I'm not crazy. Are you the one who left those notes and stuff? Like the one in my shoe? Thanks for getting the money back for me, by the way.”

“Yes, that was me. I felt like leaving messages, it helped.”

Jounouchi nodded, thinking. “Did you... did you set that criminal on fire?”

“He did that himself, I honestly didn't think it would happen. I sorta bluffed my way through that game, I knew that something bad could happen to either of us, but... you saw the results. Also, you set a killer on fire today as well.”

“Yeah... still can't believe that happened...” He shrugged. “What about the director? I remember him being a huge dick and then something on the news of him being found blind, and confessing to the horrible things he had done!”

Yami smirked at that. “Okay, yes, that was me. I made him see everything in pixels. I wish you could have seen it, he was bumping into things in his panic, even tripped over his own feet."

Jounouchi chuckled a little. “He deserved it, that douche. But still, you're pretty cool, just stay a good guy, okay? Whatcha did to those guys, and Kaiba... wow, I don't wanna get on your bad side!”

“You're my host's friend, Jounouchi, I could never hurt you.”

The taller of the two smiled and grabbed him, holding him in a tight hug. “You're my friend too, Yami Yugi. I owe you my life and more for all you've done for us, thank you."

Yami blinked, his cheeks burning red once more as he returned the embrace. He's never... held someone like this before, he liked it, a lot, he hoped that he could do this again someday. Maybe he'd get to hug his other self soon, hopefully.

Jounouchi pulled back, grinning. “Come on, let’s get you and Yugi home, you two have had one hell of a day!”

“Right.” Another flash, and Yami was gone, replaced with Yugi. “Did you two have a nice talk?”

“Do you not go into his shadow when he takes over?” 

“Mmm… no, I don’t really know where I go when he’s in control. Sometimes I can hear everything that is going on, sometimes I can see through his eyes, and very rarely do I get both sight and hearing. It’s a recent thing.”

“Heh, that’s pretty… cool, I think.”

The two talked quietly as the made their way to the Kame Game Shop. Once at the door, Yugi and Jounouchi shared a much-needed hug, it’s been a long day and they both needed a breather and a friend.

Goodbyes were exchanged and Yugi unlocked the door, stepping into the shop.

_You have true friends, Yugi._

Yugi chuckled softly, closing the door and locking it from the inside as he looked out the door, seeing Jounouchi walking down the street. He looked at his right hand, seeing the ink on it. “The truest of friends, Other Me… thank you, you… you let me do so much today, and you helped Grandpa when I couldn’t…”

 _No, Yugi._ The shadow appeared on the floor, golden eyes watching him, the mouth there once more, though Yugi noticed with surprise that it seemed to move as Yami spoke. Did his shadows get stronger? _You are the one who helped Grandpa more than I did. I just played the cards, you are the one to figure out the puzzle, the key, to winning the game._

The boy looked at his friend and smiled softly, nodding. “You heard Jounouchi, when we were leaving Kaiba Land, right? When he was gonna ask me a question and told me it was nothing?”

_Yes, what about it?_

“I knew right away what Jounouchi tried to ask me… after all…” He closed his eyes, smiling as he held the puzzle in his hands.

“Today, for the first time, I can remember all the battles we fought together…” 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done with Death-T! And Kaiba is now in his coma, we won’t see him again until part two of this series, Expectation’s Reality.
> 
> The scene with Yami and Jounouchi talking is something I started WAY back when this story was still within the first ten chapters. It was a scene I had wanted to do for this story for ages, I wanted that knight line in this because it will come up later in the story.
> 
> Also, you’re probably wondering why shadow!Yami now has a mouth, well, his powers are evolving the more he and Yugi bond in battle, the more Yugi slips into the games. It strengths their bonds, and the one to inherit the shadow magic, Yugi, is helping to improve the shadows, which helps Yami out.
> 
> Or some nonsense like that, it’s hard to put into words.
> 
> Next chapter: Things are returning to normal. No more crazy games and people! Well… okay, that’s not true. Anzu and Yugi get a new game that may get them into a lot of trouble at school, Jounouchi gets a second chance to hit the jackpot on a game show, and what happens when you mix awkward not-dates at amusement parts with crazy bombers? You get a three story chapter and a tired writer, that’s what!
> 
> Thanks for reading, as always, don’t forget to leave a kudos and a comment! Feedback helps me write!


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